


Broken Fragments

by Donovan94



Series: The Rewritten Threads [1]
Category: Wings of Fire - Tui T. Sutherland
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Drama, Darkwatcher, Emotional, F/M, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Magic, character driven
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:53:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 135,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28919373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Donovan94/pseuds/Donovan94
Summary: AU: Everything has gone far off course, nothing is as it was supposed to be.The NightWings invaded the rainforest - and won. The would-be Queen Burn is dead. And Moonwatcher, the only NightWing in hundreds of years to be born with both telepathy and foresight, has been raised by her megalomaniac father. And now, she wants out. Hunted by her father, an enemy of her tribe, Moon hides with the Dragonets of Destiny as they form the rebellion to oppose the great alliance of Morrowseer and Blister.On her journey, Moon discovers that the most powerful dragon in history is bound to her will as part of an ancient curse that has passed from generation to generation. Darkstalker is willing to show her the truth about their fragile world, to teach her their full NightWing heritage, and their destiny. What will it take to save the world from a cataclysm she foresees approaching fast? What is the price that must be paid? How far is too far?
Relationships: Clay/Peril (Wings of Fire), Darkstalker & Moon (Wings of Fire), Deathbringer/Glory (Wings of Fire), Kinkajou/Turtle (Wings of Fire), Moon/Winter (Wings of Fire)
Series: The Rewritten Threads [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2121060
Comments: 25
Kudos: 35





	1. Prologue

_3007 AS,_

Foeslayer’s joints ached where they had remained in a fixed position for so long. But she did not acknowledge it, did not shift. Years of training had desensitised her to bodily complaints. The night air was heavy in her lungs, the heat of midsummer - even at midnight - was stifling along her scales. It was background noise in her brain. Not worth her focus. She instilled those same thoughts into her own soldiers. Let the civilians worry about the mundane, she instructed. Rise above it. 

Instead, her gaze stayed on the moons, all three of them not quite so full now. Their reflections shimmered on the choppy sea. Waves smashed their ferocity upon the cliff base, reverberating up the two hundred feet of stone to tremble under Foeslayer’s talons. Still, she remained immovable. 

It was time to face her failure with pride. 

She’d had one chance to prove herself. Despite the failings of her birth, she’d been given an opportunity to realise all her dreams - _her tribe’s dreams!_ Yet even that had been soured by forces beyond her control.

Truly, that was the story of her life, it seemed. She would do everything in her power to achieve her life’s ambitions, only for things she couldn’t account for to ruin it all. Her lack of powers, her love for Arctic, the hatred of his mother, her defective dragonets...

And now the entire mission was at risk. 

So why didn’t she care?

It almost felt treasonous, to care more for the tiny dragonets that she’d brought into the world just the other night, rather than the whole purpose for her existence. Yet there was no denying it. Even now, a part of her usually focused mind was splintered and _worried_. It was a foreign feeling and she shouldn’t like it. 

Her mother paced the cliff edge in front of her. Every now and then, a spray of sea air would blast up and sweep beneath Prudence’s wings to hit Foeslayer in the face. It were as if the kingdom itself was scolding her. Prudence lashed her tail, talons dug into the ground. 

Foeslayer remained at attention, her face impassive.

“You have no idea the hurdles I had to jump through for you,” Prudence finally hissed. She overlooked the sea, dark and churning with the promise of an incoming storm. “We came _this close_ to ending it. Years worth of work, almost for nothing!”

Foeslayer schooled her features so that she wouldn’t wince. 

“But, it’s done now. We can salvage this. Plans are already underway to accommodate a new strategy.”

Relief made Foeslayer’s tired muscles want to slacken, until her mother’s next words nearly broke her. 

“The dragonets will be taken to our facility further south. There, we can test them to see which holds more value-”

“No.”

Prudence froze. Stiffly, she swivelled her head to glare at Foeslayer. “As the head of this program, you do not defy _me_.”

“They’re my dragonets,” Foeslayer said. It felt like the words were dragged up from the bottom of her spine. Every day of her life, every rule she’d ever memorised, every moment of training and conditioning told her to _never question orders, don’t talk back, the program is everything!_ But these words would not be silenced, as if her hatchlings had put them in her heart as a keepsake when their eggs had left her body. “You can’t take them.”

“This is for the sake of everything we’ve been working towards. It is clear to everyone that you are compromised-”

“But mother-”

“ _Commander_!” Prudence corrected. “I see I should have made that distinction clearer when you were growing up.”

“ _Commander,_ ” Foeslayer amended through clenched teeth. “I am part of this program too. I am the best of what a NightWing has to offer-”

“You have no powers.”

The cold words aggravated a wound that had been with Foeslayer since the day she hatched on a moonless night. Her first impulse was to get angry, but it was what Prudence wanted. “I am the greatest warrior in our army. I am Captain of the Aerial Defence. The genes of the best NightWings in our history run through me. The program is _everything_ to me. I can train them. You know I can.”

“I knew you could seduce the IceWing as ordered. But that went awry, didn’t it?” Prudence cocked her head, eyes narrowed. “Who’s to say your feelings won’t cloud your judgement this time as well?”

“Because I know if I fail, my dragonets are forfeit. And you can rely on how I would do anything to not let that happen.” For the first time in her life, Foeslayer raised her head so that she stood taller than her mother. “And you need me. If either of them are what you want, then you will need Arctic’s help. And we both know he wouldn’t do it _for you_.”

Prudence glared, Foeslayer held herself still and stared back. She hoped her mother couldn’t see her tail-tip twitching. Not for the first time, Foeslayer caught herself wishing that she and Arctic had fled across the sea as they had intended. But once again, fate had snatched away Foeslayer’s dreams.

Finally, Prudence sneered. “Very well. You may keep your dragonets. If you are determined to suffer this way…”

“I am.” And there would be suffering - Prudence would make sure of it. It might mean Foeslayer would always be watching for spies, ready to report any weakness. It would mean she’d have to be a tougher mother than she wanted to be. It might break her to not be able to sweep her perfect dragonets into her wings and shower them with love. But it would be worth it, Foeslayer told herself. Anything for her dragonets.

They were going to change the world. 

* * *

_3015 AS,_

The roof broke beneath him. Slate tiles and bricks ripped off under the impact. Beams shattered and furniture crumpled to splinters. Fathom choked, winded. Dust clogged his nose. Smoke from the fires across the city burned his lungs. He lay in the crevice his fall had punched through the building. His entire body cried out with the throbbing heat of pain, his green hide already mottled with bruising. Was something broken? It was hard to tell when everything hurt equally. Cuts and lacerations striped his body with streaks of red, as if he were trying to imitate a RainWing. Yet through the pain, he was aware of some instinct yelling at him, urging him.

_Get up! Get up, now! He’s coming!_

But he was too tired. He’d kept this up for what felt like hours. Were they safe? Had they managed to get away? For years he’d believed his power was a curse, no good to help anyone. And yet, he’d saved an entire tribe. But at the cost of a brother… his heart hurt more than anything else.

A shadow fell over the hole in the roof above him. And there he was. Darkstalker, in all his glossy, huge glory. Fathom had never given much thought to the overly large wings, the long coils of his body, or the exaggerated curling talons. Now they all screamed of danger, a testament to how he’d been born to kill. A warning Fathom had been too stupid to notice. 

And yet, when Darkstalker smiled, even in that deranged way; where it looked like he’d painted a smile on his face to hide the agony in his burning bright eyes - Fathom felt a pang of grief. This was his best friend, and they were driven to murder each other. 

Darkstalker sighed dramatically and shook his head. “Oh, Fathom. Poor, ridiculous Fathom. Look at your mess - quite inconsiderate of you. You know _I’m_ going to have to be the one to clean it up later.”

He moved down from the lip of the hole to the floor Fathom had crashed in. Even when he moved it was with the constant grace of a snake’s slither. Of course, his scales bore no evidence of their battle. Not even when they’d fought in the storm clouds overhead, and Fathom had hit Darkstalker with a bolt of lightning - it hadn’t left a scratch. Though his scales were invulnerable, Darkstalker had still felt the pain, and that was when he had thrown Fathom across the city into the crater he now lay in. 

It was another reminder that Darkstalker was now beyond any mortal means of containing him. He’d gone the ultimate step. There would be no stopping him for nothing could kill him. He was immortal. That realisation, hitting Fathom with the weight of a whale, was enough to nearly make him lose all hope. 

But Clearsight _had to be right!_ He had to hold on just a little longer… 

“I didn’t want it to be this way,” Darkstalker said. His usual grin slipped, and Fathom thought he saw real anguish flitter through his silver-blue eyes. But just as quickly, the NightWing blinked, and his mask returned. It was a terrible mask indeed, one that showed him smiling, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Each tooth became exaggerated with a cold fury that consumed all of him. “I had everything planned out. I could have made this tribe great. My destiny fulfilled! And then you and Clearsight had to ruin it.”

“You ruined it yourself,” Fathom said hoarsely. He tried to drag himself back from his friend. _Nope!_ He stopped. One of his legs was definitely broken.

Darkstalker noticed. Whether he read the pain in Fathom’s mind or he saw the way his friend flinched, the former SeaWing prince knew not. Again, something shifted underneath his façade. Concern? Opportunity? “Oh, by all the snakes! I can’t stay mad at you while you’re bleeding all over the floor.” He reached out towards Fathom’s leg - 

But he recoiled with a fearful hiss. “Don’t touch me!”

The NightWing drew back his talons and had the gall to look offended. "Fathom, don't be dense. Let me fix it."

"No." Despite the pain, Fathom pulled himself further back. "I don't want any hidden strings."

Darkstalker at least had the decency to quickly glance away. He saw what Fathom was thinking, how he now knew of Darkstalker’s little ‘fixes’ and what they entailed. "It was never needless. Everything I did was for the good of-"

"Was for the good of YOU. What you've done… it's unjustifiable. I could never…" He trailed off as the throbbing pain became too much. 

Darkstalker curled his lip. “You see, this is the fundamental difference between you and I, Fathom." A flourish of his talons towards his once-friend's injury, as if that perfectly demonstrated his point. "You would rather linger in unnecessary pain. I, on the other talon, have the spine to do something about a situation I can clearly fix!”

“The difference between us,” Fathom retorted hotly, “is that you are a liar and a…”

“Murderer?” Darkstalker finished the words Fathom felt too sick to utter. All his charisma was gone, his usual wall of calm now rubble, his raw emotions bare for all to see. “They deserved it! After everything they’d done, they needed to be punished!”

“Do I need to be punished that way?” Fathom nearly vomited on the words. Flashes of Arctic, of Queen Vigilance, their bodies… The images filled him with a new kind of horror every time he remembered. 

Darkstalker frowned, as if wounded. “I called you brother, Fathom!”

Fathom looked down significantly at his leg, at the claw wounds along his hide that matched the blood on Darkstalker’s talons. He blinked back tears. “I can see what that means to you.”

“No!” Darkstalker snarled. “You don’t get to judge me! I never wanted _this!_ You broke your sacred oath - you swore you would never use your powers, but you did, to try and destroy me? You struck first, _SeaWing!_ ”

“Because you were hurting dragons! Your tribe - you were terrifying them!”

“Insurrection was bound to happen unless I showed them true strength. Now the flock will fall in line, and I will lead them, as I was born to do!” 

“And I can’t let you do that.”

Something in his eerie gaze shifted. Like he was finally accepting that Fathom wouldn’t surrender. As if they were still dragonets roughhousing around their bedroom. That their animus battle that had rocked the sky was just another playful argument over who won the right to first dibs at the table. That Darkstalker would eventually win and Fathom would concede and go back to sticking to his side. But now the NightWing finally accepted that those days were gone. That the ocean between him and Fathom was too wide and tumultuous for even _him_ to surpass. Fathom’s ultimate refusal to join him on his side of the shore had driven a spear into his heart and destroyed whatever bond had remained there. 

His eyes met Fathom’s. There was a coldness there that was so alien to the SeaWing that it made him tremble. _Hate_ . Darkstalker had been mad plenty of times, but not once in his life had he looked upon Fathom with such unbridled _hate_ before. “I thought you would help me build our glorious future. But now I see that you can’t be trusted.”

Red stained talons reached out towards Fathom’s face. His heart pounded, but he couldn’t move. Memories, as clear as the day they happened, spun across his brain. Of every time they laughed, of the first time Darkstalker called him ‘brother’, when they took that fishing trip, when he and Darkstalker and Clearsight had stood on a seaside cliff and dreamed of their happy future. Unbidden, tears slid down Fathom’s cheeks. 

Darkstalker hesitated as he saw those memories too in Fathom’s mind, as he saw the tear crawl down his friend’s face. His expression grew torn. Hope hit Fathom so hard it hurt. Darkstalker knew what he needed to do, but he didn’t _want_ to. For a moment he didn’t look like the power hungry, mad animus he had turned out to be. Instead he looked like the dragonet he had been when they met; hopeful and desperate for a friend.

Behind Darkstalker, through the hole in the ceiling, Fathom caught a glimpse of the sun through the storm clouds. It had just crested the tip of Agate Mountain on the eastern horizon. 

_“Send him to me when the sun reaches the top of the mountain,”_ Clearsight had instructed him. _“That should give me enough time, and the tribe will be far away by then.”_

It was time. 

Fathom snatched up a jagged shard of a tile. It cut between his talons and smeared them with his own blood. With a cry, he lunged for Darkstalker and thrust it to his friend’s breast. 

Darkstalker’s icy blue eyes met Fathom’s deep, tear-filled green. Neither of them moved. 

“Send him to Clearsight!”

Reality shifted and contorted. Air became heavy and congealed. Fathom wanted to scream as it felt like his guts were being pulled out through his belly. And then, there was a bright flash and a clap of thunder… and Darkstalker was gone. 

Fathom lay in the rubble, alone, and let the hurt come in. That was it. If the plan worked, that would be the last time he would see his friend again. If it didn’t… Well, either way, it was all over. Both the nightmare and the beautiful, wonderful dream. All because he had let it happen, just like he had with Albatross. Fathom curled up on the floor, covered his head with his wing, and wept.

The world was never going to be the same again. 

* * *

_5008 AS, Two Thousand Years Later…_

The tribe usually worked on a rotation when it came to hunting. Obviously those with more vital roles got to eat more often, and as the key to the tribe’s future, Morrowseer had been granted privileges that allowed him to eat when he felt like it. And as would be expected, those same privileges extended to his mate, Secretkeeper. 

In the twelve years they had been married, she had only used this advantage sparingly. She had a good head on her shoulders, most of the time, and was not foolish enough to pass up the opportunity. Yet Morrowseer had recently become aware that Secretkeeper had been making use of this benefit more and more often. He’d tried to ask her why, but of course she brushed it aside. 

He didn’t want to think the worst of her. He tried to reason with himself. Since he’d delivered the prophecy, since putting in place the plan that would save their tribe, he had been distant with her. Missions to the mainland, council meetings late into the night, he had buried himself in his work. Could he blame Secretkeeper if she had looked for affection in the wings of another? 

No, a rational side of his brain mused. But she was still his wife. And this kind of disloyalty would not be tolerated. Who was more worthy of her than he? He was second in command of the entire tribe in all but name.

He intended to follow her on one of her little outings. She always waited until the dead of night, when the rest of the tribe slept, when he would be in talks with the Queen. The perfect time to slip away. As she soared for the tunnel to the rainforest, Morrowseer followed at a distance. He intended to catch her with her lover, to see who it was that she dared to betray him for. 

But for all his intentions, that was not what happened. 

Deep into the rainforest he followed. As he came out of the secret tunnel, the first lungful of clean, rich air not tainted by ash and smoke was enough to make lesser dragons stumble. But he carried on; it was only another reminder of what he was fighting for. 

Were it not for his keen sense of smell, he might’ve lost Secretkeeper to the darkness of the forest floor. In the thickest brush, in the shadow of a fallen hollowed out tree, he found a little den, what looked more like a nest folded from ferns. A dragon nest. A memory came to mind. Of Secretkeeper returning from a hunting expedition three years ago. She said the egg came out cracked, the dragonet inside already dead. She had begged him then, that they would not try again. _“I can’t take it anymore!_ ” she had sobbed. _“I’ll die if I lose another!”_

They had been trying for years. Four times they’d tried, and four times they’d failed. It was one of the reasons Morrowseer was so adamant about saving their tribe, at any cost. They had to get away from the volcano. When they did, he and Secretkeeper could have hope again - _the tribe could have hope again!_

Seeing the nest, Morrowseer felt a swift slash of shame. Secretkeeper must be coming to mourn, still. He too had mourned, in his own way. That was why he’d furiously driven himself into his work, why he had been so distant with her. But he’d never considered coming to see the site where it might’ve happened, where Clearsight might’ve enshrined their last lost dragonet…

Movement rustled in the undergrowth across the clearing. Into the moonlight hopped a tiny dragonet. She was perhaps two, well fed, healthy, her scales a shimmering ebony black. Silver scales sparkled at the corners of her green eyes, bright and dazzling. The dragonet had wandered into the clearing and had looked to the moons eagerly, but upon spotting him had frozen. 

He stared at her, she stared back.

“Moonwatcher?” came a voice. “Moon, dear, you shouldn’t-”

Secretkeeper stilled and looked at him with horror. Morrowseer couldn’t breathe. He stared at his mate, then at the dragonet. Two years old had been his guess… if their last egg had lived, it would be the right age… 

Rage blinded him. “How could you?!”

To her credit, she didn’t try to placate him. “I couldn’t take her back! The volcano would’ve destroyed her!”

“And I didn’t have the right to know? Isn’t she mine too?!”

“You would’ve returned her to the tribe!” Secretkeeper scooped the petrified dragonet up in her talons and brought her closer to herself, protecting the little one in her shadow. “Look at her, Morrowseer. She’s perfect, she’s _healthy!_ Everything every other NightWing dragonet is not. If putting our daughter first meant you couldn’t know… I can live with that.”

If she had struck him he wouldn’t have been more surprised. “And what of the risks? To the tribe, to our plan! Did you not even consider the consequences had this been discovered? You could have ruined EVERYTHING!”

“I don’t care!” she shouted, her voice echoing into the trees with grim finality.

Morrowseer’s teeth ground together. “You… don’t… _care?”_

“My dragonet is all that matters to me. If you want to be a part of that, make your choice.”

Soft earth shredded beneath his clenched talons. A thousand thoughts raced through his mind. A knife had sliced open his back. His mate had not only betrayed him - their entire marriage - with this unforgivable secret; she had betrayed the entire tribe. She brought shame down on both of them! What if their dragonet was contaminated? Yes, she was alive, yes she was healthy, and a part of Morrowseer wanted to get closer, to look at _his daughter_ and hold her in his talons, know she was real. But he couldn’t ignore that her very existence was a slap in the face. His mate did not value the cohesion of the tribe enough to adhere to tradition. His mate did not value his feelings enough to tell him that his child had lived. Instead, she had lied to him, made him grieve another stillbirth and robbed him of the chance to be a father. 

For all that, he loved and hated them both. 

But now the question remained on what to do with them. Secretkeeper was right, he had to make a choice. And to him, the choice was clear. They needed to return to the island. The laws existed for a reason, and Secretkeeper must be judged for them. And this dragonet needed to be with her own kind, to correct any weakness that might have been instilled in her by being raised out here. What if - 

“No, NO!” the dragonet suddenly screeched. She tried to scramble further into her mother’s shadow, tried to hide in her wings. She stared at Morrowseer with wide, terrified eyes. “You can’t! He can’t!” 

“Moon!” Secretkeeper hurriedly tried to quieten her daughter, her voice filled with a little more panic than was strictly necessary. “Moon, hush! Don’t-”

“He’ll take us back!” the dragonet wailed. “I saw it! He’s gonna take us back! Don’t let him!” 

_I saw it?_

Morrowseer inspected this little creature, with her big, frightened green eyes and those strange silver scales that glittered in the moonlight. Her stare was so intense on Morrowseer’s gaze, like she could look through him. She’d somehow managed to know his intentions. _I saw it…_

Quickly, Morrowseer conjured something very specific into his mind. Of Battlewinner, stood before the little dragonet, vast and reaching for her. 

The reaction was instantaneous. “Mother!” she screamed. “Her tongue is blue! She’s going to take me away!” 

Morrowseer glared at Secretkeeper’s defeated expression. She’d already _known about this!_ There was no way either of them could avoid this now. 

This would change everything.


	2. Awakening

~PART ONE~

Under The Mountain

_5012 AS, Four Years Later…_

The rainforest was meant to be riddled with perils. From quicksand, to poisonous frogs, to flash-floods. But Moonwatcher had never needed to fear her home. It was as much a part of her as her own scales. No. What she feared more than all those rational dangers, was her father.

Moon paced along the forest floor, dead leaves squelched under her talons. The constant downpour slid across her scales, the repetitive sound soothing. She fought down her anxiety that was ballooning up her throat. What if she tripped over her words, or stuttered? This had to go perfectly, her father wouldn’t settle for anything else. Assuredness was the only way she was going to win this battle.

It was almost funny, in a morbid way, that she considered this upcoming encounter specifically as a “battle”. In a way, it was. Every meeting with her father was. 

Wasn’t it strange, to live in fear of your father, and yet have your entire universe centre around him? He had dictated the entire course of her life for the past four years. He was her one constant interaction, her only link to dragon society. Was it wrong that a secret part of her looked forward to his visits, for someone to talk to, to not feel so alone? Even when all that happened was the same as the every time before: more training, more judgement, more instructions on how to be better. Moon’s father had always made it clear that there was a plan in place, and she was a central part of it. 

She was the tribe’s secret weapon.

After her father had discovered her existence, he’d reported to Queen Battlewinner. The revelation of Moon’s gift of mind-reading (and then foresight, a year later) had shaken them. But they quickly decided to use it to their advantage. Much to Moon’s eternal thanks, they had decided to keep her in the rainforest. They feared that bringing her to the volcanic island might somehow disrupt her powers. Instead, Moon’s father came to her every other night in order to train her, to teach her in the ways of being a NightWing. And he never settled for anything less than perfection. 

_“Whilst you remain cosy here, in your perfect little world of plentiful food and fresh air; remember that there are a dozen NightWing dragonets who died without those comforts. And that there are a dozen more who would literally kill for your privilege. Count yourself lucky and do not complain to me again.”_ was what he once said to her when she nearly broke her wing during one training session. Those images he’d planted in her head had haunted her nightmares for days afterwards. 

Moon glanced up at the canopy. Somewhere between the branches were the glittering stars. The radiant moons. A fleeting, crazy idea occurred to her; to climb up to the top and miss her father’s visit. Some nights when he wasn’t scheduled to come, she would climb the highest tree to gaze out at the night sky. It felt like the moons were pouring their light, their love, into her. It felt like she was held in her mother’s wings again. 

She could count on one talon the times she’d seen her mother since she was two. It was easier not to think about her, to not feel that gaping pit of guilt and sorrow inside her. Secretkeeper wasn’t here with Moon, and it was all her fault. She’d panicked, she’d revealed her curse. All throughout those first two years, her mother always said: _stay secret, stay hidden, stay safe._ And yet on that fateful night, she hadn’t listened. 

Moon sometimes wondered where her mother was now. Her father said she had been made an attendant to the Queen, which meant she was always very busy. Moon didn’t need to read her father’s mind to know what that really meant: so she could be kept away from Moon. An ingenious punishment that aroused no suspicion from anyone else. 

Realising she’d worn a trail into the earth with her pacing, Moon stopped and sat. She tried to breathe. Remain calm. Everything was different now, she told herself. She was almost seven. She could muster her courage to tell him what she had to tonight. It had to be tonight. Moon’s dreams warned her of what would happen if it didn’t happen tonight. 

A whisper at the edge of her mind… numbers… counting in various sequences…

Morrowseer was here. 

His footsteps were heavy, purposeful. He came into the clearing that had always been her home. Broad chest, massive shoulders, a hulking shadow that moved. Morrowseer seemed to make the rainforest feel too small. Talons as big as Moon’s head, he moved without any regard for anything in his way. Golden eyes were hard and scornful like the sun, declaring him a master of all he surveyed. 

Whilst his physical appearance was indeed imposing, Moon was more intimidated by his mind. Whenever she was near him, Moon couldn’t seem to read him very easily, because Morrowseer always had his mind thinking of numbers. It was unnerving how he could talk, could hide his feelings behind his eyes, but Moon couldn’t judge what he was really thinking. Because in his head, he counted backwards, then in multiplications, then in odd numbers, square numbers. Always numbers. Intentionally, he masked his true thoughts behind a wall she couldn’t see through. And his skill at doing so was what unnerved her. 

“Moonwatcher,” he said. 

Moon stood straight, wings folded back, head held high, as was expected of her. “Father.”

He looked her up and down. “You’ve fed recently?”

“A jaguar this morning,” she paused, and then added, “I left half of it in case you wanted any… It’s hidden just south of the wind-rush canyon.” Maybe if she got him in a good mood he would be more receptive to what she had to say?

“I am perfectly capable of obtaining my own food.” The corner of his lip curled down. Moon dipped her neck in submission. And then, “But the offer is appreciated.” 

Moon’s head shot up, eyes wide in surprise. Her heart lurched. Why was he being so nice?

“Have you been working on your visions?” he asked. 

Usually, she would try to tell him that it didn’t work like that. Seer’s of old might have been able to catch glimpses of the future at will - the old scrolls said the most powerful could do so. Morrowseer had read all of the material he could in preparation to train Moon. But Moon struggled because nothing her father tried to get her to do made any sense. If he - or anyone - had her powers, they might understand and help her through experience. As it was, it felt like a scavenger trying to teach her how to fly. 

But tonight, she held her tongue. She was too eager to please. “I have. The dreams can be confusing, but all I see is more of the same. IceWings fighting SkyWings. MudWings killing SeaWings.”

He didn’t notice the way her wingtips shivered in revulsion. “So the war continues as expected. Very good.”

Just those two simple words, and Moon felt as if gravity no longer had a hold of her. Praise from Morrowseer of any kind was as hard to come by as water in a desert. She always took it when she finally managed to earn it.

“You might be pleased to hear that there will be no training tonight,” he said, eyeing her. “I am leaving.”

“Leaving?” Moon blurted, her stomach dropping. He was going to go? For how long? Despite how awful training with him was, the idea of Moon having _no one_ to talk to was too much to bear.

_Well, I won’t have absolutely no one anymore…_

Morrowseer cocked a brow in disapproval at the interruption. “Yes. At dawn, I leave for the mainland.”

“But for how long?”

“Only a few days at most. Do not look so despondent, Moonwatcher, you are not a hatchling.”

“Sorry-” she bit her tongue; that wasn’t a very NightWing thing to say. “Why do you have to go?”

“We have only two years left. The Queen and I agree that it is time to make sure our plan is coming along as we would like.” He lifted his head, golden eyes scanning the forest. “It won’t be long now, Moonwatcher. Soon this forest will be ours.”

Talons clenched into the ground, Moon felt herself teetering on the edge of a precipice. Her dreams were rushing up to engulf her. Memories of the last two days stabbed her in the gut with guilt. 

“We can’t!” the words leapt out of her mouth before she could stop them. 

Morrowseer’s head snapped towards her, incredulous. “What?”

It was difficult to swallow, but Moon mustered her courage. She tried to focus on the numbers in her father’s head, to try and find calm in the repetition. “I don’t want to do it. The plan - I, I mean…” Her father’s golden eyes stared her down like blistering suns. Her talons trembled with fear. “Father, we can’t just _take_ the rainforest! O-Other dragons live here, if we s-steal it…” 

“You want me to feel pity for a bunch of lazy, good-for-nothing _RainWings?”_ he growled in a low voice. 

“They’re not good-for-nothing or lazy!” even as the words left her mouth, she knew they were the wrong thing to say. 

“And you know this _how?”_ And then he did that thing, where he read her face so easily, that Moon almost wondered if he was a mindreader too. “You met one.”

“Yes.” She tried to see into his head. Her father’s face was so unreadable she couldn’t gage whether he was disgusted or about to explode in violent rage. Maybe it was both. But the numbers were so loud they were giving her a headache. 

“You were discovered…” his words were gratingly slow, gravelled together behind clenched teeth. “You disobeyed the _one_ rule I asked you to follow.” 

“It’s fine! Kinkajou won’t say anything, and she doesn’t even mind that I’m here.”

“It has a name.”

“ _She_.” Moon corrected. Perhaps if she told the truth, Morrowseer might see things from her point of view. “It was an accident. She saw me by the river. But Father, she wasn’t hostile! All she wanted to know was my name and then she wanted to play, show me around the forest.”

Kinkajou was possibly the loudest dragon Moon had ever encountered (which wasn’t saying much). But she was kind and funny and instantly called Moon ‘ _My Newest Best Friend!’_ And Moon had never had _any_ friend before, let alone a best friend. Kinkajou didn’t treat Moon as if she needed to meet grand expectations, or that the fate of everyone rested on her shoulders. The little RainWing had made Moon feel normal. 

Their initial meeting had only lasted all of two minutes, when Moon caught the loud thoughts in Kinkajou’s head that she’d spotted the NightWing, before Moon fled. Then earlier today, Kinkajou had stalked through the rainforest all morning to find Moon and forced her to talk. Moon had been terrified at first, but she now doubted the RainWing had a single bad bone in her body. They’d both been so excited to have a new friend that the fact they were from different tribes hadn’t even come to their minds. 

“Don’t you see?” Moon said to Morrowseer, hopeful. “If Kinkajou can accept me, then maybe we don’t have to _take_ the rainforest. We could live here alongside the RainWings! Together. Wouldn’t that be better for everyone?”

Her father was quiet for a long time. With each passing second that dragged by, Moon felt that flicker of hope wither and die. A cloud shrouded the moons above the canopy, leaving the forest floor in almost pitch black. Moon could just about make out the shape of her father as he loomed over her, his golden eyes bright like starlight.

“You would have us bow to RainWings?” he hissed. “Have you no pride? You would have us cater to the whims of uneducated, weak, lesser dragons.”

“They aren’t lesser, they’re just-just… different!”

“And we are NightWings!” he spread his wings, silver star-like scales seeming to surround her. “We are the most feared tribe in all of Pyrrhia. And we shall never give that up.”

Moon backed up, trying to find a glimmer of light. “Wouldn’t it be better than dying? It’s better than being stuck on the volcano, sick and miserable.”

“What would you know about it?” he snapped. “You saw a glimpse of it in your mother’s memories and now you think you know what it is to be one of us? Never in all your years could you ever hope to achieve that.”

Moon’s wings drooped. Her scales felt like they were cracking, letting his words in to slice her open on the inside. Tears burned the back of her eyes. She couldn’t look at him. She didn’t need to read his mind to see how _alien_ she was to him. There it was, in the open: she wasn’t a NightWing, she wasn’t one of them. Of course she’d known, it was in the subtext of why she was kept separated, why she had powers and everyone else didn’t, why she had never been allowed to have her mother back. Blame for her mother’s decision fell on Moon, a punishment for the luck of her birth. Resentment and disgust was all she was good for, because of course she didn’t know what it was to be a NightWing. 

No one wanted her. 

A talon gently touched her chin and lifted her head to look back up. Moon’s glistening eyes met her father’s. Green on gold. For a fraction of a second, boosted by the contact of their scales, Moon caught a glimpse into her father’s mind between the numbers. 

Inside him there was a battle. On the one talon, he hated her for what she represented: that his mate had lied to him, that she was kept away from him in secret. And he was envious, because Moon - a dragonet frightened of her own shadow - had the powers of old, and he - the one leading the tribe from extinction - didn’t. Yet, on the other talon, there was this feeling of… _something_ … Moon couldn’t describe it. She was _his_ dragonet, his only surviving child. And she was the kind of NightWing the tribe should have been, and she was _his._

He took his talon away, and Moon could no longer read him. His guard was back up, the numbers returned. One wing spread around her, tenting her in his shadow but not touching her. She desperately wished he would take her in his wings, embrace her, show her that emotion she’d sensed deep down inside him. 

But he didn’t. Instead, he sighed. “Moonwatcher, can’t you understand? There is a reason that you were left out here, that you are the one born with our powers. You are going to help me secure our tribe’s future. We are going to save them. Nothing is more important.”

Moon ducked her head. “I just don’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Play your part, and no one will. Get these fanciful delusions about consorting with other tribes out of your head. Our tribe is counting on us, Moonwatcher. You wouldn’t want to be the one to disappoint them.”

She wanted to argue her case, but even though he didn’t touch her, the warmth in her father’s shadow was comforting. 

The next evening, she chastised herself for her weakness. At least her Father would be gone for a few nights and she could formulate a better plan. The sun still hadn’t set, so she resolved herself to try and feel better. 

She searched for Kinkajou all along the river, then into the mango-tree grove. But Kinkajou was nowhere to be found. Moon tried her best to stretch out her mind, but all it did was make her brain ache. Two of the moons began to rise and Moon combed almost half the rainforest looking for her new friend. There was not a flicker of her rainbow-mind, not even in sleep, anywhere. Moon began to panic. When dawn arrived and still there was no trace of her friend, Moon even dared to follow the thoughts of the sleepy RainWings to their village. She didn’t get too close, only stuck to the edges and tried to listen in. 

Being around so many dragons was so LOUD though. A migraine threatened to storm through Moon’s brain. The RainWings weren’t that active in their minds but there were still so many of them. Listening in, she tried to see if Kinkajou was here, or if anyone knew if she’d gone somewhere. But no. There was nothing. She had vanished. 

Misery and guilt swallowed Moon up like a giant dragon eating her whole. This was all her fault. Her first potential friend, and she was gone. 

For not the first time, as she stared up at the sky that night, Moon wished for some magical means for it all to end. She was so very _lonely_ . No one to talk to. Scared to do anything except what she was ordered to. Told over and over that her best wasn’t good enough, that _she_ wasn’t good enough. She wished her father would change. She wished she had a friend - a _real_ friend. She wished someone would rescue her and her mother. That someone could love her, in any capacity, to fill that hole that made her feel starved without being hungry. 

She wished she could learn to not be so scared any more.

Another day came and went. The first night of spring came. It was her seventh hatchingday. And she had no one to share it with.

* * *

Deep in the dark, a dragon slumbered.

A mind, after so long inactive, reached for any stimulation. The power of foresight reached out into the void and plucked the premonitions from the stars. The outside world was played before that sleeping mind, dreams to be seen as they appeared, but would not be remembered upon waking. 

A war raged. All the tribes fighting one another as had never been seen before. Three sisters competed for the throne of sand, and in their squabbling had dragged every dragon in Pyrrhia down with them. And as the ground was soaked in blood, more and more desperately prayed for deliverance from the slaughter.

He saw five dragonets, each of a different tribe, each desperate to be free from the underground world they’d known the first seven years of their lives. They escaped into the big open world, only to be captured by a Queen of the Sky. Forced to perform for the Queen’s sadistic pleasures, they fought in her arena. They killed, they almost died themselves, and even friendships were formed in the most unlikely of places. The Five managed to escape when they injured the Queen so badly that many thought her dead. But she didn’t die, instead smuggled away by her SandWing ally to her fortress in the desert to recover. In the vacuum of power that remained, a princess took her mother’s throne. And in a surprising twist, she pulled her armies from the front lines to instead treat the wounded and the starving in her kingdom. 

The five dragonets went to the coast, to reunite a lost princess with her mother. Along the way, she met her brother, one whose appearance was so startlingly familiar that even that ancient mind stirred and nearly awoke. But the enchantment suffocated his awareness and sent him back into the dreams. It showed him the prince leading his sister and her friends to the Summer Palace, where mother and daughter were reunited, along with a younger sister, an animus. But not all was well in the kingdom of the sea, where princesses were murdered in their shells and the assassin remained undiscovered. The princess and her friends helped to uncover the identity of the murderer, yet in so doing revealed to ocean Queen how her SandWing ally was a manipulator. When the Five were detained, the cowardly little prince went to his mother, to speak on his sister’s behalf. But in the process, his greatest secret was discovered by the ambitious advisor of the Queen - who was coincidentally killed by the little animus princess before he could spill his stolen knowledge. So when MudWings attacked the Summer Palace in blazes of fire, the unassuming prince fled with his sister and her friends into the wilds once more. 

Their nerve shaken by the attack, the SeaWings fled to their Deep-Sea Palace, and broke off their alliance with their chosen would-be SandWing queen. As the war became disrupted, dark minds and wings began to panic that a carefully laid out plan, years in the making, was starting to fall apart. And so they set out to correct it, in any way possible. 

Yet even as these forces conspired against them, the Five ventured onward towards the rainforest. There, they found a kingdom hidden from sight and forgotten by the world. Just as the inhabitants inside seemed to have forgotten about the larger world as well. There, they chanced upon the mystery of dragons abducted into thin air and began an investigation. It was also whilst in the rainforest, that the tag-along prince chanced upon a NightWing hidden deep in the thick of the forest floor. 

When the dreams showed him her face, he once again almost awoke from the shock her familiarity caused. Yet, he dreamed on.

The NightWing was at first frightened by the strangers, but they slowly won over her trust. She confided in them of her friend’s disappearance, worried for them in their quest that she knew would lead them to certain danger. She was torn between the duty to her blood and the duty to her heart. 

The Five managed to find - rather by chance - a tunnel of magical means. And when a RainWing, desperately searching for his mate, dashed in recklessly, the one of the Five who always felt like she didn’t belong, followed in after him. It was then that she found the volcanic island, the home of death and decay, and a once proud tribe brought low. She discovered the truth of what was happening to her fellow RainWings, and in her horror made a daring escape with the one she had come to rescue. In the process, she found the NightWing Queen caught between fire and ice. Enraged by the promise to thwart all the NightWing plans for salvation, the Queen drew herself from her fiery pit to attack - only to die. In the chaos, the imposter made her escape and managed to save the little RainWing that the NightWing worried about. Once safely returned to her kingdom, the one who never belonged decided to make herself belong somewhere, and so competed for the throne of the jungle. A secret heir to the RainWing throne, she won her heritage back and declared war upon those that would hunt her tribe. 

And through it all, that great mind slept ever on as these events unfolded over the course of many weeks. Though his mind registered each of these dreams, the moment they were gone he forgot them. Lost to the oblivion of a two thousand year long slumber. 

* * *

“We can’t do nothing!” shouted a councilor.

A mass of black wings fluttered in squabbling outrage. Starflight huddled on the ground, doing his best to seem as inoffensive as possible. He was hungry, he was tired, he was scared out of his mind. Fatespeaker brushed her wing against his, doing her best to give comfort. But there wasn’t much to be had - he could feel the tremble in her scales. 

They were frantic tonight. The council of NightWings shouted over each other in different pitches of anger, fear and desperation. Starflight thought he should be used to this by now. It had been a week since the NightWings had kidnapped him, and they’d dragged him before them every night to interrogate him on his friends. Always afraid, always unsure, Starflight didn’t know if the stuttering answers they forced out of him made the situation better or worse. When he’d first arrived, he’d thought he could parley with his tribe. Surely they were logical thinkers like he was, surely they would listen to reason and intelligence. 

But then he’d seen them, seen their world. Crammed into a fortress that was half destroyed. Living on a volcanic island that clogged the air they breathed and made them sick. Hardly any prey left to eat, they were all starving. Miserable, ill, and the lives of their dragonets squeezed out of them day after day. 

Now he believed Glory and the story she'd returned with two weeks ago. Of the NightWings evilly conspiring to steal the rainforest from the RainWings. That they were willing to kidnap, torture and experiment on defenceless, hapless dragons. 

But Glory had changed everything. She did what everyone thought to be impossible. She'd escaped, taken the rainforest throne, and had started whipping her new subjects into shape. Within the first four days of her rule, she had turned the tide. No more were RainWings lazy, easy prey. They were focused, determined, willing to use their natural gifts for advantage in conflict. They had Tsunami to turn them into real soldiers. Clay to help the healers. And Sunny kept everyone organized. They were now a true threat.

Which was why the NightWings had kidnapped Starflight. He had been meaning to try and find them, to negotiate, to prevent war; but they beat him to it. Starflight could only imagine how much more formidable Glory must’ve been making the RainWings. As every day, his captors grew more erratic. Now, they were at breaking point.

Was two weeks enough time to make the RainWings a match for the NightWings? Starflight wasn’t so sure. 

“Enough!” Morrowseer raised his voice. Not enough to shout - Starflight had never heard Morrowseer shout, but he didn’t need to. Everyone fell silent to listen to him, as if they too felt as frightened by those cold gold eyes as Starflight did. “While we sit here squabbling, those RainWings make a mockery of us.”

“This is _your_ fault!” one elder bravely accused. “Your Dragonets have gone rogue, Morrowseer! All they have done is ruin our plan from the moment you lost control of them.”

“There is nothing wrong with the plan,” he hissed. “We simply need to act. Now.”

Everyone looked confused. “Now?”

“Are we ready?”

“General,” said Greatness - 

Starflight winced and corrected himself; _Queen_ Greatness. The entire tribe had been thrown into chaos when Battlewinner had died. He was pretty sure that the main reason they were all so mad and unwilling to think of peace, was because they all wanted vengeance for what they perceived as the murder of their Queen. Now, as her mother’s only heir, Greatness had had to take the throne. And Starflight could see that she wasn’t cut out for it. She was quiet, indecisive, and lacked the regal conviction that Glory seemed to possess naturally upon taking her throne. 

“The RainWings took out the scouts we sent through the tunnel,” she was saying. “They know where we will come through, and they are waiting. We no longer have control of the situation.”

“Then we take it back by force.” He turned away from the new-queen dismissively to address the council. “We go through the tunnel en masse. Soldiers in the front will wear Mastermind’s prototype armour. The ones behind will follow in close and attack by any means. The RainWings may have the advantage of terrain and their venom, but they will be useless in close quarters. The night will make us harder to see.”

“We will lose more soldiers than we can spare!” someone cried. 

“Not as many as you’d think. And all we need to do is get in there long enough to retrieve our weapon.” 

Starflight froze from where he had been trying to edge closer to the door, when Morrowseer was distracted. A weapon? What? Whatever it was, it gave Morrowseer the confidence not to appear the least bit intimidated by the thought of battling the RainWings. In fact, he looked ready for it. The tunnels to the rainforest were clearly animus-touched, so could it be some other enchanted object? Or the animus himself? 

He had to clutch his stomach to stop himself vomiting at the panic that thought caused. Fatespeaker blanketed her wing across his back. 

“Once we have it,” Morrowseer went on, “Then this battle, and all those to come, will be ours.”

The entire council started murmuring back and forth. With a sinking gut, Starflight realised they were whispering more in favour of Morrowseer’s idea, rather than against. In one last hope, he looked to Greatness, sat on the dias by the wall where her mother used to look through. Would she say anything against Morrowseer? Would the council listen to her if she did?

But she remained silent and watched the council for their verdict, happy to not be the centre of attention. 

Starflight wrapped the end of his tail around Fatespeaker’s wrist and tugged gently. With a motion of his head, he urged her to creep behind him towards the door. No adult was paying attention to them. They had to slip away and get a head start. 

Though Morrowseer had dragged him here tonight, he seemed to have forgotten Starflight’s very existence. Which was fine with him, the less time Starflight had to spend around the terrifying older NightWing, the better. 

When he and Fatespeaker reached the door, they finally began to run. Starflight led the way back to the dormitories. He had to get to the Dreamvisitor, he had to warn his friends! And then he and Fatespeaker had to escape. 

The last thing he heard from the council chamber only made him run all the faster: “So it’s settled. We attack within the hour.”

* * *

High above in the heavens of Pyrrhia, amongst the stars, a celestial body moved across the sky. It was a comet, bright like a fourth sun, and leaving a trail of fire as it burned through the atmosphere. It was large enough that as it passed over the continent, from northeast to southwest, it was close enough to affect the world below. 

The seas shifted with its magnetism, and they in turn moved the earth. Earthquakes ricocheted across the continent, not enough to do too much damage on the whole. But it was enough to make magma stir on an island in the north. And in the south, ancient stones shifted just enough that they grated on a bracelet of copper and wire, and snapped the old and corroded metal. 

The bracelet fell from the body that wore it, it’s magic finally gone. 

And a dragon awoke.


	3. A Kingdom Lost

Moon felt the earth tremble under her. Just barely a tingle, but it made every scale want to turn inside out. A headache sprouted inside her skull, as fast as a tsunami crashing upon the shore. Visions assaulted her eyes, but she couldn’t seem to make sense of them. Talons digging into her head, she tried to breathe through the liquid fire pouring over her brain. Her toes curled, her wings froze, her tail thrashed as she fought to keep herself from passing out. 

Finally, when it seemed that the pain would be without end, it receded as the visions died. Taking deep breaths, Moon worked to push the last of the agony away. Disorientated, she opened her eyes. When had she fallen? One wing was crumpled underneath her, a knee was pressed into her ribs in a very uncomfortable way. Slowly, she stood on shaking legs. 

What had caused that? Tentatively, as if fearing another onslaught of the pain, she tried to recall that wall of visions that had slammed down onto her mind. But no, they were gone, as distant from her recollection as yesteryear’s dreams. 

She looked up into the sky, at the blaze across the stars that had so enraptured her just moments ago. A comet with a tail of fire. Blood red against the diamond stars. A dash of colour in the blue and black world of the rainforest at night. Where had it come from? What did it mean? 

There was a faint noise at the edge of her hearing. Her ear twitched, but all she caught was the nighttime buzz of insects. Odd. Had it been a weird echo? 

Dread balled her stomach. Turning her head towards where she _thought_ the sound had come from, she tried to listen again. Both with her ears and her mind. 

Distantly, there came a distant murmur in her mind. Briefly at first, but growing. Moon felt herself be drawn to it. Between the trees she was pulled, their high trunks sentinels parting to allow her entry into their shadowy depths. The NightWing, hypnotised, abandoned her world of silvery, comforting moonlight and innocence, and instead passed over to a murky underbelly, from which there was no return.

Ferns brushed her flanks, animals skittered past her to return to the moonlight. She heard their chitters, as if they were crying out to her to escape with them. But she couldn’t. Whatever this was that was drawing her mind, she had to follow it. The ground crunched with dead leaves and the tree shavings of many years, waiting to decompose. 

The noise in her head was getting stronger. Unrest, confusion, a mass of anxiety and uncertainty that was building like a storm cloud. As she began to comprehend it, Moon felt her steps become more surer, her curiosity replaced with concern. Something was happening, her instincts told her, and she had to be there _NOW._

And then, a wave of violence crashed into Moon so hard she was almost knocked off her feet. Terror, desperation, anger, outrage, vengeance. The emotions piled onto Moon one after the other, until she struggled to remember herself. 

_Kill them all!_

_The volcano! It’s going to get us! Fire and smoke - it’s right behind us!_

_Me or them, no room for sentiment here!_

_Attack!_

That was Glory’s voice, both in Moon’s head and in her ears! Eyes snapping open, she sprinted the rest of the way towards her destination. She pushed aside the instinctive fear, born from her days as a hatchling when her mother would warn her to _never ever go to this part of the forest!_ The voices in her mind were crowding around her, pushing her down, threatening to overwhelm her. The headache was back and almost blinding. She tried to imagine pushing the voices out of her head. Bring up a wall of her own to protect her from the noise. Why couldn’t she push them out?! 

There was a break in the trees. Moon skidded to a stop. The clearing was before her, the small waterfall and the two tunnels. The wrongness of them radiated out to Moon’s mind even from this distance. They would have even had they not been stained with fresh dragon blood. 

Black wings were pouring through the tunnel in the tree! Dozens of them. Moon might’ve mistaken them for a murder or crows, for they seemed to form together and fracture apart, until she didn’t know whether there were a thousand of them or one giant monstrosity. In all of their minds came flashes of fire, of death, of their world being destroyed in a cataclysmic event, to spur them into faster action. In all of them was the order to attack, to take no prisoners, anything for their own survival. 

A flash of red. Glory - and there, right beside her was Kinkajou! And then there were all of her friends. Moon’s heart did a little flip to see them, rushing to meet the tide of darkness pouring into the rainforest. Clay, Tsunami, Sunny, even Turtle was here! She’d only known them two weeks. If there was a bond of friendship, it was tentative, as she didn’t know what to tell them and what not to. Even so, Moon felt a stab of petrifying fear to see them racing towards obvious danger. 

Turtle crouched behind Tsunami, eyes wide and head dipped down. He was terrified. The complete opposite of Kinkajou, who stood as tall as her little height would allow, red and striped with black, ferocious with her fangs bared. She, Glory and Tsunami were the first ones to launch themselves into the battle. 

Other RainWings appeared in the trees. They abandoned their camouflage - or it simply fell away in their shock - to rush to their Queen’s aid. Some of them tried to use their sleeping darts, and a few NightWings went down quickly. But three more were there to swarm the shooters. Within moments, it turned into a bloody brawl. 

The RainWings should have had the advantage. They had the camouflage and the home territory that they had evolved to inhabit. But the ferocity and discipline of the NightWings matched them. Some RainWings managed to use their venom, but most still had the mindset to never use their venom on living beings. Moon could see in their minds, the old habit struggling to be shaken in their fear and confusion. The NightWings took advantage, and came in close to clobber at the smaller dragons’ heads, or attack from behind. 

Moon huddled in the underbrush, holding her head against the onslaught of thoughts and feelings. Her heart wrenched itself in two. How could this be happening?! Why was her tribe doing this? Should she help her friends? What about her duty? How many would die if she chose one side or the other? But her friends were getting hurt! 

“Starflight!” 

Moon’s head snapped towards the sound. She knew that name, it was always in the minds of Sunny and the other Dragonets of Destiny. There! She saw him. Crumpled on the floor by the tunnel, unresponsive, though his mind was filled with agony and a new darkness. Blistering scars were branching out across his face. A female NightWing - around his age - was bent over him, trying to pull him out of the way of the fighting. 

Another NightWing saw them too and immediately swooped down onto them. “Traitor’s! Fight with your tribe!”

“H-He’s hurt!” said the female - Fatespeaker, Moon saw her name in her mind. 

And then, the NightWing took a proper look at them, and he bared his teeth. “I know you!” he snarled and lunged.

Moon was moving before she even knew it. With a leap and a thrust of her wings, she was dashing through the air straight at the older male. She turned at just the right moment, and smashed her side into his. The force was enough to shove him away, even if it did leave Moon with a tear-inducing bruise. 

A shake of her head, and she scrambled to her feet. She’d acted on instinct, like whenever she hunted, just fast movements in response to her desire. Now, her rational side was back. Assaulted on all sides from all the minds of the battle around her, her terror and indecisiveness returned too.

The male was getting to his feet. Unsure of what to do, Moon thrust out her wings to hide Starflight and Fatespeaker behind her. 

The male looked her up and down, not recognising her. They were almost nose to nose. By the shape of his snout and the build of his shoulders, Moon guessed he was around her age, but she was taller and he was sickly thin. The male thrashed his tail, trying to not look intimidated. “Who are you?! What’re you doing?!” 

His thoughts on all the ways he could kill her to get to his real prey made Moon tremble so hard her voice shook. “L-leave them alone!”

“Hey!” 

The male turned, only to be met with a head turned upside down from a branch overhead. The moment he turned to her, she let loose her fangs and sprayed venom into his face. The NightWing howled with pain. Moon cried out with him as his excruciating agony became hers. Their skin was melting off their faces! Their eyes were gone! Their bones and nerves were burning away! Their brain -

Gone. The body dropped to the floor, dead. Moon was almost violently sick as she experienced his death inside her own head. Just one moment there, and then _POP_. Vanished. His thoughts, his very life, blown away as quickly as a flame on a candle. 

“Moony?” called a voice. 

It anchored her. Moon was able to crawl away from the horror of having experienced death so intimately, to the safety of Kinkajou’s pink scales, happy to see a friend safe and sound. Those bright yellow eyes told Moon it was okay to breathe again. Tears streaked her face, and she didn’t know when they’d begun. 

Behind Kinkajou, emerald green pudgy Turtle scurried towards them and the safety of the edge of the battlefield. No NightWing seemed to pay him any attention, not even when his thick tail almost hit one. “I don’t think this is a very safe idea!” he cried, “In fact, this is the very _opposite_ of safe!” He clutched a pouch that hung from around his neck.

“Queen Glory!” Kinkajou waved her wings, and a moment later, the RainWing Queen swooped out of thin air to land before them. She instantly inspected Kinkajou from head to tail. 

“Are you alright?” she demanded, seeming not to notice how one of her brows had been cut, blood pouring into her eye. 

“Brilliant!” Kinkajou cried, her thoughts bursting with blood-thirsty rainbows. “What’s our plan?” 

Glory’s scales looked as if they wanted to go pale, before her mind slammed a wall down around herself and they returned the colours she had chosen. But still, her expression said everything she didn’t allow her scales to. “This… there isn’t one…”

Moon saw flashes, of Glory’s dreams, of Starflight warning them of attack. Of Glory and her friends rushing to prepare the RainWings for invasion, and the element of surprise turning against them. Now, her RainWings were unprepared and shocked and frightened, and this was the worst nightmare Glory could ever imagine. 

“Excuse me, Glory!” Fatespeaker nearly shrieked. The RainWing turned and finally saw Starflight. 

“Is he-?!”

“He’s alive,” said Moon. “But he’s really hurt…”

“Come on, Glory!” Kinkajou urged, trying to be the voice of hope. “We can turn this around!”

But Moon saw what the Queen saw. A RainWing screaming as her wings were shredded by two NightWings. Another RainWing fell to the floor, neck broken, dead. A NightWing was trying to save his own talons as venom ate away at his fingers. Tsunami - and Glory’s other friends - fighting for their lives. 

And the RainWing Queen made a choice. “RETREAT!” she yelled at the top of her voice. She shot into the air, turning her wings a dazzling bright yellow and green and pink, the brightest colours she could in order to grab her tribe’s attention. “With me, RainWings! Retreat!”

“But Glory!” Kinkajou protested, “We could-”

“I’m not losing any more of us!” said the Queen as she landed on a tree branch and waved the RainWings to her. “Moon!” the command made the NightWing jump. “Narrow the path! Make it harder for the NightWings to get to us!”

 _She’s trusting me?_ Moon wondered in awe. But she did as commanded. Summoning the fire into her throat, she let it shoot out of her mouth igniting the dry rainforest floor. The blaze quickly grew, and the other NightWings leapt back away from the flames. Moon met each of their stares as they studied her, their thoughts confused, accusing. Father’s conditioning reared its ugly head inside her, telling her that _this_ was her tribe, she had a duty to them! But Moon only had to see the little bodies on the floor to realise that this was wrong. She didn’t want to condemn her people, for she could see inside their heads that for most of them, this was something they didn’t want to do. They were terrified of the volcano that had blown up behind them. They wanted to live, and they’d been told that another tribe was standing in the way. 

Across the battlefield, RainWings took the opportunity for the NightWing’s distraction and vanished with their changing scales. Moon didn’t even realise they all came flying past her, until she felt the brush of their minds and the wind under their wings. The other dragonets of destiny were the last to make the sprint to escape. Clay bundled Tsunami and Sunny underneath his wings as he ran straight through the fire, his fireproof scales absorbing the damage meant for his sister-figures. One NightWing tried to launch himself at their backs, a cheap shot. Tsunami leapt out from under Clay’s wing, grappled the NightWing to the floor, tore open his stomach and snapped his neck in half as many seconds. She then abandoned the body to run straight towards Moon and Glory and the others.

“We’re falling back,” Glory said. The others didn’t argue. “Stay close and fly for your-”

“Moonwatcher.” 

Everyone froze. Moon felt her heart try to smash out of her ribs. They slowly turned to see Morrowseer step over the flames. The other NightWings had fallen back to make way for him, most were even trying to tend to their wounded. But even if he’d had the entire NightWing army at his back, Morrowseer couldn’t have looked more terrifying to Moon. He loomed over her, closer and closer, eyes melding with the firelight. 

“Glory! Get back! Go!” Clay shouted. “We’ll hold him off. Get the RainWings out of here.”

It was clear in the young Queen’s mind that she wasn’t about to abandon her friends. “No, Clay. A queen should stand with her subjects and allies.” She then met Morrowseer’s eyes. “A lesson your queen never really learned.”

He hissed, as did some NightWings behind the fire. Moon saw it flash through their heads. Queen Battlewinner was dead. 

Her father pointed one sharp claw at Glory. “From the moment I set eyes on you, I knew you were trouble.”

“Trouble?” she echoed, her scales shimmering until she matched the raging flames. “Here’s trouble for you. You may have won tonight, but just know that it’s not over. I won’t stop until my tribe gets our home back. I won’t rest until I see you dead and melting in a pool of venom for what you’ve done!”

Violence and hate bristled under the surface. They were ready to launch themselves at each other. 

Clay planted himself in front of Glory, his first instinct always to protect his family. “Glory, don’t!” 

Morrowseer was going to use the distraction, Moon could see it in his tensed shoulders even when she couldn’t read his mind past the numbers. She threw herself into his path, wings outstretched. “Please!” 

He paused, staring down at her. A fierce disappointment burned through her father’s eyes. Years of instinct screamed at Moon to back down immediately. She shrank, neck bent, tail tucked between her legs. She hyperventilated, her talons fusing with the ground. 

But then there was someone at her side. Royal blue scales, bared teeth. Tsunami. “Back off, squid-brain. We’re getting out of here and you can’t stop us!”

He quirked a brow at her, but other than that, his expression didn’t shift. Neither did his fixed gaze on Moon. “Is that so?”

“You’ve got the rainforest,” said Clay, appearing on Moon’s other side. She stared between him and Tsunami, standing beside her, protecting her, and she was awed. “You got what you wanted.” Behind him, Glory growled. “Let us go.”

“And leave a knife at our backs? I think not.” And then he smirked and added, “Especially not with my daughter.”

He knew what he was doing. He got the reaction he wanted. Moon felt that small sentence completely blow up the minds of those around her. Tsunami even flinched away from her, as if she had suddenly turned into a viper. She looked hurt, confused, suspicious, and Moon felt like her wings had been ripped away.

“Whoa…” murmured Kinkajou somewhere behind Moon’s wings. “Moony, you never said the big bad one is _your_ dad!”

“Moon?” she turned to Clay. His expression was puzzled, and his mind was trying to piece together why she hadn’t said anything sooner. “Is he really…?”

“Oh yes,” said her father before she could. “My dragonet. Raised away from the island to grow up to be the weapon we need.”

“She’s not a thing!” A flash of gold. Sunny. Moon was shocked. They hadn’t really spoken that much, mostly because Moon was too shy. She could read inside the SandWing’s head that she was just as shocked as everyone else, but unlike the other’s, she didn’t hold it against Moon. She still had faith. 

Morrowseer peered down his nose at the small yellow dragon. “She’s my daughter. She’ll do as I say.”

“No.” Everyone looked to Moon, as surprised as she felt to hear herself speak. But she stood up, even when every instinct told her to _get down, appease him, don’t make him angry!_ She brushed her wing against Sunny’s, hoping that bravery would rub off on her. “F-Father… please. They’re my friends.”

“You have a duty.” he growled.

“But it’s not right-!”

“There is no _right!_ There is only the tribe.”

“You’re wrong.” Sunny lifted her chin defiantly. “What you’re doing, taking the rainforest, trying to make the prophecy anything you want - that’s not destiny. Even if you were the one who delivered it, all of this is not the way things should be.”

Morrowseer threw his head back and laughed. Moon shuddered. “Don’t presume to lecture me, stunted SandWing!”

“She’s right.” said Clay. “You don’t control us anymore. We will stop you. You and all the NightWings.”

Tsunami widened her stance. “You invaded the _wrong_ rainforest!”

Morrowseer lost all traces of mirth. His lips curled to reveal a hint of his teeth. “You think to threaten us? We made you. You dragonets are only important because of us, and we can destroy you just as easily.”

Sunny shook her head. “No, you can’t! We have a prophecy to fulfill, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it from happening.”

“My prophecy can happen any way I like, considering I’m the one who made it up in the first place.” 

Silence. Even Moon was shocked. Not even she’d known her father’s plans had extended back this far. Of course she knew he had no gift of foresight, but she’d assumed the prophecy of the war had been made by some other NightWing, and he had used it to get his tribe a new home. She could feel the stunned reactions all around her. Clay and Tsunami gaped at one another. Glory was growing more and more enraged as she put the pieces together. Kinkajou was bewildered as to what everyone was talking about. Turtle was thinking about a half dead tree. But Sunny… her’s was the most heartbreaking of all. Moon saw a crack on the glass that was the SandWing’s mind, spilling out a sense of hopelessness, of uselessness that she was desperate to put back inside its container. 

“No!” she said fiercely, blinking back tears. “The prophecy is real! We _were_ born to end the fight - to end the war and save everyone!”

Morrowseer could see how upset this made her, and twisted the knife. “Afraid not. You’re just as ordinary as any other dragon.” 

Sunny stood still, chest heaving to contain all the emotion inside her. And then, with a loud sob, she whirled around and dashed off into the darkness of the forest. Her siblings watched her go, talons reaching out to stop her, to comfort her, but unable to find the words. If there were ever a time that Moon wished she could have a convenient vision, it would be right then, anything to mend the broken heart that fled from her father. 

Tsunami wheeled around on the massive NightWing, snarling. “You are just the worst!”

For the first time in her life, Moon looked on her father with an outsider’s eyes. That had been unnecessarily cruel. He had said those things just to hurt Sunny’s feelings. Why? What could he possibly gain? 

Morrowseer ignored Tsunami as if she hadn’t spoken at all. “Moonwatcher, come.” He held out an outstretched talon to her, beckoning her to his side. “It is time.”

“But…” she tried, fidgeting with her claws. “I-I don’t want…”

All at once, the numbers in her father’s head vanished and a thought came through loud and clear. _If you want your ‘friends’ to live, do as I say._

Her wings drooped. She knew the threat was very real. If they all turned and fled, how far would they get? One or two of them might escape, but her father and his minions would certainly catch some of them and kill them. Moon couldn’t bear the thought.

 _It will be alright, Moonwatcher_ , he thought to her in such a gentler tone that Moon felt an old, battered sense of hope. The instinct to make him happy, to bring out a show of affection, the want to be loved, was almost too strong to resist. _Do as you’re told and help me make our tribe great again, as you were meant to._

Before she could decide, Glory was there, putting a wing in front of Moon’s chest.. “You’re not getting a talon on her.”

“And who’s going to stop me?” Morrowseer scoffed, the numbers returning and closing off his mind to Moon. “The three of you?” 

“Yes.” Tsunami and Clay said together. 

“And me!” cried Kinkajou. 

This time, her father showed all his teeth when he growled. “Here’s all the dragonets I want dead in one convenient place…” He coiled his body to lunge - 

A shadow burst out from between the other NightWings and hit the back of Morrowseer. Overbalanced, he fell to the ground. The dragon on top of him managed to put enough weight on his head that he hit a rock and was dazed. The new dragon stood over him, heaving with the exertion of having to shove her way through the crowd and fight him. She’d managed to stun everyone into shocked silence. Turning, she immediately looked to Moon, who felt her heart leap into the stars with joy as she recognised the dragoness who looked a lot like herself. 

“Mother!” she leapt into her waiting wings and clung to her mother in a fierce embrace. Secretkeeper was whispering soothing words to her, crying, holding her just as tight. Moon couldn’t stop her tears. Here was her mother! How long had they been separated? It felt like an eternity. But now, she felt safe, she felt right. 

“Oh, my little Moon,” Secretkeeper pulled her back enough to look her over from horns to tail. 

“You-You came for me!” 

Her mother held her close again. “Of course I did, sweetie. I’d do anything - _anything_ \- for you!” 

Abruptly, Moon didn’t care if all the NightWings - if all the world - hated her for her mother’s decisions. Because she knew her mother was right. She’d taken her away, broken tribe law, broken her marriage, all for love of her dragonet. Moon felt like the luckiest NightWing in all the world. 

“Um…” said a voice, and they turned to Kinkajou. “Not to interrupt or anything, but we might want to… go now?” 

“Yes,” said Secretkeeper without hesitation. “Let’s go,”

Moon was shocked. She’d thought her mother’s loyalty was without question. “But the tribe-”

“Don’t deserve you,” she bumped her snout with Moon’s. 

Numbers pinged at Moon’s mind. 

“Look out!” someone shouted.

Secretkeeper shoved Moon back as she turned and leapt at Morrowseer as he reared above them. Moon fell and tumbled in the dirt from the force. Clay’s warm talons were the ones to lift her up, the touch amplifying his thoughts, conveying his dismay, his sense of helplessness. Moon spun back towards her mother -

Secretkeeper was grappling as if her life depended on it against Morrowseer. Probably because it actually did. Her husband was much broader and more muscled than she was. Just one swipe of his talons left a blow that allowed everyone to hear the _thump_ that almost broke her ribs. 

“Mother!” Moon rushed to help, but two sets of talons held her back. She struggled, frantic. “Mother!” 

“Moonwatcher!” Secretkeeper shouted back as she tried to claw at Morrowseer’s face, trying to keep him back. “Get out of here! Fly!” 

Morrowseer managed to duck his head and roar. “Seize them!”

The NightWings (those following the drama and remained at the ready) charged to leap over the fire at the dragonets - 

_CRRRRRRREEEEEAAAAAKKKKK!_

A tree fell to the ground with a thunderous crash, right on the dividing line between the dragonets and their enemies. Though only the tip of its half-dead branches touched the fire Moon had made, the entire tree was ablaze in moments. It burned so hot, its flames so high, that it almost set the leaves above on fire. No dragon could pass over them. 

Everyone glanced over to where the tree had come from. Turtle stood with his talons still on the bottom of the trunk, and gave a sheepish smile. The tree must’ve been more dead than anyone thought. 

Moon stared through the flames at her parents that were still grappling, the other NightWings, having abandoned their original targets, closing in on them. There was nothing she could do. Moon stood one side of the divide; her mother was on the other. 

A few leaves overhead were starting to catch light. The NightWings were being ordered to gather water before it became a forest fire. The Dragonets of Destiny saw their opportunity. “We have to go!” Tsunami ordered.

Unable to respond, Moon felt herself be dragged away. She flew with the others through the trees, heading north. But that was about as much attention as she gave her bodily functions. She didn’t even register the tears streaming down her face. She’d had her mother in her talons, and then lost her again just as quickly. Her entire world had been turned upside down. 

The RainWings, the Dragonets of Destiny, and their tag alongs didn’t stop. Not until dawn was almost upon them, and they had reached the northern border of the rainforest. Only then did they pause to catch their breath. Only then did they look back. 

Clay came over to Glory as she stared back at the kingdom she had abandoned. He put a wing around her shoulders. “I’m sorry, Glory.”

“We’ll get it back,” she vowed in a hoarse voice. “If it’s the last thing I do, I will make them pay for this.”


	4. In Search of Sanctuary

For the next five months, the RainWings and the Dragonets of Destiny were on the run. They fled to the no-man's-land between the rainforest and the Mud Kingdom, and all along the Claws of the Clouds Mountains. They found that they could not stop in one place for too long. As wherever they went, Morrowseer would send bands of NightWings to hunt them down. It seemed he was serious about exterminating them - that, or he really wanted his daughter back.

Sunny didn’t know how to feel about that last revelation. She didn’t know how to feel about a lot of the things Morrowseer had revealed that fateful night. On the one talon, she felt like a butterfly underfoot, crushed and insignificant. All the years she’d spent hidden underground, away from the sun, away from a family that might want her, through all the terrible things that had happened to her and her friends, she’d had faith. She’d always believed that there was a reason for everything in her life. There must be a reason that she looked odd, that she’d found herself with dragons from other tribes she could call her brothers and sisters. There had to be a reason that for every dire situation she and her friends had found themselves in, they’d always managed to get away. That reason had been the prophecy, that destiny wouldn’t allow them to fail. 

But now, she had to accept that it wasn’t real? It was all made up so the NightWings could take over the rainforest… There was no reason behind bringing her friends together. There was no reason behind why she looked so abnormal.

Sunny couldn’t ever remember a time in her life where she felt “small”. But now, she felt tiny. She felt worthless. 

After their initial escape from the rainforest, Sunny had feared that her friends would all go their separate ways. After all, there was nothing tying them to some grand destiny, they could go home and live normal lives. Clay could find his real siblings, Tsunami could return to her mother and be a true princess of the sea. Obviously Starflight and Glory had nowhere to go, unless they thought to flee to opposite ends of the continent to escape the NightWings. 

Sunny had tried to argue that they  _ should  _ stop the war, prophecy or no. But the others brushed her off, in that way that always infuriated her.  _ Oh Sunny, always the dreamer, give her something shiny to distract her.  _ They now thought the war was someone else’s problem to fix.

Their goal now was just survival. Even if they did split up (which none of them had thought about in any seriousness), it would be unwise to do so. Morrowseer’s hunters were tracking them and would likely pick them off if they tried to separate. Thanks to the camouflage of the RainWings, they could move with virtual invisibility. But they always had to keep moving. If they weren’t on the run from the NightWings, the other tribes were not welcoming either. Despite the fact that Queen Ruby appeared to be disinterested in the war right now, they couldn’t trust that wouldn’t change. Even so, Queen Moorhen was still Burn’s ally, and they had to avoid her and her patrols as much as possible. And they couldn’t run back to Queen Coral, as she only had her Deep Palace to offer refuge and only Tsunami would be able to reach it. 

By now, the RainWings were exhausted and weary, the Dragonets (though being eight years old now, nearly nine, they weren’t considered dragonets anymore) were running out of places to hide. They dared not go west, unknowing of what awaited them. Burn would likely kill them. They still had no idea where Blister’s base was, and considering that she was likely working with NightWings (if their alliance was still in effect), it was best to avoid her completely. They still had yet to meet Blaze, but considering she was allied with Queen Glacier of the IceWings, none of them could survive the subzero world of the Ice Kingdom. 

They needed sanctuary. Desperately. Though they all grabbed food and sleep where they could, they were pushing their bodies to their limits. Because of it, anyone’s injuries could not be treated properly. Poor Starflight was now completely blind. 

With no one willing to do the impossible and no one listening to her, Sunny grew tired of waiting, and so decided to launch herself into the mission. She slipped away in the dead of night, when her friends had decided to hide in the Diamond Spray Delta. And she made her journey west.

It took her a week to go over the plains and through the Mountains to the hills before the desert. Only when she reached there did she realise her folly: she had no idea where she was going. Once again, Sunny had rushed in blindly on faith. On the belief that things would work out. Now that sense of security had been ripped away from her and it left her feeling self-conscious and isolated. 

She decided to head for the two day journey north. If Glacier was keeping Blaze anywhere, it would be as close to the Ice Kingdom as Blaze could physically tolerate. Sunny knew the north of the Kingdom of Sand was disputed territory in the war, with neither Burn nor Blister’s forces able to gain a foothold in the region. The IceWings were very tenacious and ruthless in protecting the land that Blaze had promised them should she win the war. 

Sunny managed to slip by into the rocky tundra where the desert gave way slowly to snowy expanse. By some lucky chance, she managed to find a lone fortress on one cold night. The SandWings guarding it didn’t appear all that suspicious. In fact, apart from a few odd looks at her weirdness, they let her come right in as soon as she said she was the SandWing from the prophecy.

It was horrible to introduce herself as a “dragonet of destiny” when really, no such thing existed. If the prophecy was fake, then she was lying to these dragons, giving them false hope. But what choice did she have? 

Luckily, Queen Glacier was on official business at her palace, so she wouldn’t be making any surprise visits. Even luckier, Blaze just waltzed right out to Sunny, no extra guards, no waiting chains, no precautions of any description. 

This kind of tactless lack of sense was a recurring trend with Blaze, Sunny noticed. She and her friends had often joked about Blaze being brainless when they’d played-history back in the caverns where they’d grown up. But Sunny had never thought it would be so close to the truth!

“Oh my gosh, you  _ are _ weird looking!” was the first thing she said. “What's wrong with your tail? Why are your scales the wrong colour?”

She reached out a talon and Sunny subtly shifted her wings out of reach. It now bothered her to hear those comments, to be so strange. When she’d had faith in some big destiny, it had protected her from the hurt those words caused. “I don't know, but I'm still the SandWing in the prophecy.”

“Where’re the others?” Blaze gazed out at the dark frosty hills. “Have you come to choose me? I bet you have!”

“Well, not - that is, I mean… Well, why  _ should  _ you be queen? You know, instead of your sisters?” Despite the fact that she had come here with a purpose, and that Sunny knew she shouldn’t care (her friends would remind her that it was no longer her problem), she was curious. 

“Because I'm nicer and prettier than they are. Obviously? I mean, haven't you met them? Aren't they both awful?”

“What if someone tried to challenge you? What would you do?” 

Blaze looked scandalised. “Ouch. That's rude. I'm a much older dragon than you. I've been in a battle - more or less. And I have this deadly tail. And anyway, Glacier can always come and kill those that threaten me.”

“But that wouldn't be fair!” Sunny exclaimed. “That would violate all the challenge rules!” 

“Who cares?” seeing this wasn’t getting the right reaction, she quickly added. “I'll be such a great queen that no one will  _ want  _ to challenge me.”

After everything she’d been through, everything that she’d seen and learned, Sunny felt the temper she’d squashed down for years start to bubble up to the surface. “You know what? You might be the least awful out of your sisters, but things  _ are  _ going to get hard. So much harder. Blister and the NightWings are going to make everything worse for all of us, and you need to get your head out of the clouds before they swallow up you, your people and your allies!”

Blaze had tried to placate her, tried to get her to stay and meet Glacier and tell her all about the doom-and-gloom she’d spoken of. But Sunny wasn’t stupid, and she was too upset. She didn’t stop until she reached the warm sands of the desert and the sun was on the eastern horizon. Then, she curled up in the comforting particles, and drifted off to sleep to stop herself from crying. 

She was awoken by a rotten smell. The wind was blowing in from a different direction now. She followed it, until she found a pit. It was just like the one outside the Sky Kingdom. The aftermath of a battlefield, the dead left to bloat and rot in the sun. Each pair of eyes gazed up at Sunny, asking why she hadn’t stopped it. Their wounds told the stories of their gruesome deaths, their faces told her their misery. 

Horrified, Sunny had bolted. She didn’t care if she wasn’t careful this time, she just wanted to get back to the mountains, back to her friends. Perhaps that was why she almost got caught. A SandWing patrol had almost been upon her before she knew it! And then, erupting from the dunes below came a squadron of dragons, SandWings fighting SandWings. Sunny didn’t know which factions they fought for, but the ones who set the ambush all looked hardier, meaner, somehow. They were also the ones who won the fight. 

But they didn’t try to put her in chains, or be especially mean to her. They just bundled her under their wings and escorted her further south. An encampment close to one of the oases was their destination by early afternoon. A large male with six claws on each talon lead Sunny straight towards the central tent. He didn’t speak much, despite Sunny’s best efforts. 

Inside the tent was a female SandWing, maybe twenty years old. She was large and well built, though not nearly as big as Sunny’s guard or Morrowseer. The six-clawed male (imaginatively named Sixclaws) called this female Thorn, and she was apparently the leader. Thorn and Sixclaws had a short conversation, mostly about the circumstances of how Sixclaws had found Sunny, before he was hurriedly dismissed. Left alone with this female, Sunny felt very small and unsure. 

“Um,” she started uneasily. She didn’t want to be captured again! But what could she say to get out of this? Admitting her identity to Blaze had worked out better than expected. Maybe it would work again here? “I-I’m a Dragonet of Destiny!”

Thorn quirked a brow as if to say ‘ _ really…’ _

“Yes. So… so you should let me go. Because I have a war to stop and… stuff.”

Thorn began to circle her, looking her up and down, talons poking her odd tail. “Hmm, you are a little unusual.” 

“I know.” Sunny said. “It's alright though, I don't mind. It's just the way I hatched.” 

“On the brightest night, eight years ago…” there was an odd look in Thorn’s eyes. 

“Yes.”

Before another word could be spoken, another SandWing burst into the tent. He was probably a year younger than Sunny, freckles speckled across his face just like Thorn. A scar ran a jagged line across his snout. 

Thorn sighed at the newcomer, exasperated. “Qibli, this is a private discussion.”

“I'm not leaving you alone with no stranger.” he said, brown eyes fierce with determination for Thorn, suspicion for Sunny. “All prophecy-like or not.” 

“Your loyalty is charming, but I think I can handle this dragonet as well as you can.” 

“It's better to have backup.” When Thorn sent him a pointed look, his tough-bodyguard act slipped a little for the very corner of a smile. “I'll be quiet.” 

“Well, that I do have to see.” Thorn chuckled, and then she returned to a bewildered Sunny. “You, what's your name?” 

“Sunny.”

A strange breath seemed to be expelled from Thorn’s lungs. Qibli piped up, “Why’re you all weird looking?”

“What happened to being quiet?” said Thorn.

Qibli shrugged sheepishly. “Forgot.”

“Well, I don’t know  _ why _ ,” Sunny answered the question, “My egg was found out in the desert, alone, by a dragon named Dune. He took me to be raised by the Talons of Peace, along with the other Dragonets of Destiny. After all, I fit the prophecy…” saying those words hurt now. And she remembered Kestrel's words the last time they saw her. Sunny’s egg had been abandoned outside the Scorpion Den. “And my parents clearly didn't want me.”

Thorn suddenly snarled. Sunny ducked away from the sound, but before she could get far, Thorn snatched up her talons and held them tight. “He didn't  _ find  _ you, he  _ stole  _ you! He knew where I'd hidden you for your own safety, and he betrayed me. _ I wanted you.  _ You were the only thing I ever wanted. And I've done everything I can to find you!”

It was suddenly hard to breathe. “You’re… you’re…”

“Yes, Sunny,” Thorn nodded, eyes glistening. “I'm your mother.”

Qibli looked from one to the other. “Wait, what?”

Sunny launched herself at Thorn, wings going as far around her as she could reach. Thorn laughed and enfolded her in her own wings. Everything was warm, everything was love. “I  _ knew _ you didn't really abandon me!” 

“I knew I'd find you one day.” Thorn -  _ her mother! - _ whispered back. “Didn't think you'd come flying right into my patrol, though. Funny, brave little dragon.”

“But, what were your dragons doing out there?” 

“I run a band of misfits and rejects and deserters, called the Outclaws.” said her mother proudly. “We got tired of the endless fighting among the princesses. So we chose to oppose all of them. We protect the citizens they won’t. Whether it’s stopping their conscriptions, or helping a destroyed village, or guarding oases from apathetic armies.”

“Thanks to Thorn,” Qibli jumped up proudly, “we’ve helped dragons from the Scorpion Den to the northern pits. Not even the great crime lords mess with us!”

“So, what happened with the patrol?” Sunny asked.

“Those were Blister’s.” said Thorn. “Her captains are hand picked because they’re almost as ruthless as she is. Had that band caught you, they would’ve tortured you for information they knew you likely didn’t have. Whenever we see them, I kill them, and I expect my Outclaws to do the same.”

“But… they can’t all be bad.”

Thorn sighed. “Its not my favourite part of the job, but if you want to lead dragons, you have to show them you're willing to get your claws dirty, beetle.” 

“Beetle?”

As if it surprised her to be caught out, Thorn laughed. “That was my pet name for you, when you were still in the egg.”

“Wait,” said Sunny quickly, an idea forming in her mind. “If you’re Outclaws are so well respected, maybe you can help me! It’s my friends, the other dragonets of destiny!”

And so Sunny told her mother her tale. From escaping the caves she’d been raised in, to her captivity in the Sky Kingdom, to the trip to the Kingdom of the Sea. And then she told her about the rainforest, about the NightWings’ horrible plan, and how she and her friends and all the RainWings had been on the run for months. Thorn was quiet throughout, only asking the occasional question. Qibli wanted to ask many more questions, Sunny could see him trying to chew on his own tongue so as to not interrupt. But as her story continued, his eyes grew wider and wider. The only thing Sunny left out, was the part where Morrowseer had admitted the prophecy wasn’t real. That felt like something personal she needed to keep. 

“Oh, Sunny,” murmured Thorn softly, and pulled her daughter in for another hug. “I know what you want to ask. But I can’t help all the RainWings. Blister is making a push throughout the Kingdom and my Outclaws need to oppose her in any way we can.”

She frowned and pulled back enough to look up into her mother’s face. “Won’t she be too preoccupied? Burn will kick her out same as she always has.”

“By all the snakes!” Qibli gaped at her. “Haven’t you heard?! Burn’s dead!”

“What?!” 

“It’s true,” said Thorn. “Rumour has it, Blister sent her sister a two-headed dragonbite-viper. It’s a snake whose venom is so powerful it can kill a full grown dragon in one bite. I don’t know what happened, but Prince Smolder - Burn’s second in command - announced it a couple months ago. The entire desert has been in turmoil ever since.”

Sunny could hardly believe it. One of the SandWing sisters, dead already? And Blister was taking over the Kingdom of Sand? This couldn’t be good! It had to have something to do with Blister’s alliance with the NightWings. With two thirds of the split SandWing army under her control, would that mean she now had the means to fight a war on two fronts? Fight Blaze  _ and  _ help the NightWings capture her friends?!

“I-I have to go!” Sunny shrieked. “My friends - they might be in danger!”

“But what can you do?” Qibli asked. 

“Warn them, move them, do  _ something!”  _

“But you said you’d already gone through most of the mountains. Where’re you gonna hide now?”

That was the ultimate question, wasn’t it? Sunny had come out here looking for help, but she still had yet to find it. What haven existed in this world where she and her friends would be safe?”

“There…” Thorn said slowly. “There is a place you could go.” she met Sunny’s eyes. “Jade Mountain.”

That rang a bell. “Kestrel said something about getting a message through the dragon at Jade Mountain…”

“There is a dragon there, trapped, forgotten… he could help you. But I’m not sure…”

“Mother…?”

Thorn cracked a smile. “I’ve been called many things, but ‘ _ mother’ _ is by far the strangest and best at the same time.” Then she grew serious again. “Alright… Sunny? The dragon at Jade Mountain… he’s your father.”

Sunny blinked, and then all her questions came pouring out. “What? How? Why? What would a SandWing be doing up there? Why is he imprisoned?”

“He did it himself.” Thorn muttered. “He thought he was a danger to everyone around him. So he exiled himself into the Mountain. I tried to convince him, tried to make him live a life with me - but he wouldn’t. Not even when I told him I was with egg. Eventually I had to leave him to live his life - or lack thereof - how he wished. I had to focus on you, on surviving the war long enough to meet you.”

“Why would he do that? Why was he so dangerous.”

Thorn made a face like she’d eaten a really bad camel. She looked from Sunny to Qibli, but he seemed just as interested in hearing this story too. “Errr, you see, um, there’s no easy way to say this. But… Sunny? Your father… he’s an Animus. A NightWing Animus.”

* * *

Sunny could still hardly believe it three days later as she beat her wings harder and harder to drive her through the winds that heralded the coming storm. 

Her father was a  _ NightWing.  _ Sunny was a  _ hybrid! _

Deciding that her mother couldn’t help her in her quest, Sunny had chosen to follow her advice and find her father. Thorn hadn’t wanted her to leave, had tried to bargain and plead that she stay and join the Outclaws. And for a brief moment, Sunny had been tempted by the warm, loving wings around her. But she couldn’t abandon her friends. Couldn’t leave them to die. 

Even if this plan seemed like suicide.

She didn’t really know why it was more shocking to her that her father being a NightWing was more troubling than him being an Animus. From her time in the Kingdom of the Sea, Sunny knew of the legend of Animus dragons. It was said that they could do anything, enchant anything to do whatever they liked. But every time they used magic, a piece of their soul was lost as the price. If an Animus used too much, they would eventually turn evil. 

But even knowing that, it was the whole  _ NightWing  _ bit that had Sunny more worried. What if her father turned her and her friends over to Morrowseer? Wouldn’t he care more about his precious tribe than her? But her mother assured her that her father -  _ Stonemover -  _ wasn’t part of the NightWing tribe anymore.

_ “I met him when he came to the Scorpion Den.”  _ Thorn had told her. _ “He was quiet, earnest, and sincere. Unlike anyone I’d ever met before. Over many visits, we slowly fell in love. He showed me that he was the one that built the secret tunnels for his tribe, but he wouldn’t explain what they were for. Then one evening, I saw a big NightWing, word around town was that he was looking for Stonemover. When I told him, he said it was Morrowseer, and became so frightened. He left me that night. Ran away to Jade Mountain, said it was for the best, that the world should forget him, his tribe never find him. To protect me. I never understood why.” _

Sunny tried to understand it as well. Jade Mountain loomed ahead, massive and imposing. It was the tallest mountain in all of Pyhrria. She’d spent the entire afternoon combing along its great sides to try and find a cave entrance or something!

She turned to her companion - Qibli. “Find anything yet?”

“Might’ve,” he called back. “Up on the south-west side. Come on!”

Thorn had insisted that if her daughter was going back into potential danger, she would need protection. Qibli hadn’t liked being volunteered. Thorn was his duty, he said, he had to protect her, had to help her in any way possible. It had taken an hour, and many different styles of persuasion, but eventually Thorn had gotten him to come around. There was no one she trusted more. Qibli had been visibly upset by having to leave Thorn, but he did as she bid loyally. 

His devotion was so great that Sunny hadn’t been able to stop herself from asking: “Is Thorn your mother too?” 

He laughed, his first smile since they’d left the Kingdom of Sand. “Moons, no! She  _ saved  _ me from my mother. Besides, as I understand it, there's only ever been one egg for Thorn - and that's you.”

Over their time travelling, Qibli’s initial frostiness had vanished, and he followed her lead without question. Sunny found his confidence rather reassuring. So when he said he spotted an entrance into the mountain, she didn’t second-guess him. Qibli had quite the brain and a knack for observing things, she’d noticed. They found the cave entrance and landed in the dark and dry - narrowly avoiding the start of the downpour outside. 

Sunny found a tree branch that must’ve blown in some time ago. With a quick breath of fire, she ignited the ends, and they had enough light to see by. “Well, let’s go find my father.”

“Totally looking forward to it…” Qibli murmured, looking around at the jagged stalactites and stalagmites that pointed at them like they were trapped in some gargantuan mouth. 

The cave turned into a passage and the two dragons followed it down. It didn’t take long to branch out, and soon Sunny found herself inside a masterwork of caverns and underground fresh lakes and secret openings onto valleys. There were enough tunnels down here to house maybe a thousand dragons! Qibli stopped them from getting lost, marking their progress by carving symbols on the walls they passed. 

Eventually, they found their way to a cave near the summit of the mountain. The stalactites having been cleared out from the entrance and within. And there, at the back, lay a large NightWing. He was bigger than Thorn, but certainly not as big as Morrowseer. When their torchlight flickered over his dull, scratched up ebony scales, his eyes blinked open. Green eyes - just like Sunny’s. 

“Oh…” Sunny said, the entire speech she’d rehearsed flying out of her head. “So, um, hi! I’m Sunny…”

He didn’t respond, just stared. 

“I’m Qibli,” said Qibli. “Are you Stonemover?”

That surprised him and he answered in a creaking voice. “Yes.”

_ It’s really him _ , Sunny wondered in amazement. She wasn’t quite sure what she was feeling. Joy? Disappointment? He was just laying there… Why? 

Stonemover went to sit himself up a little bit, as if to speak to them better. But then his face contorted in pain and he laid back down. His wings dragged along the ground. That was when Sunny noticed… His wings were crippled. 

She gasped. “What happened to you?!”

He glanced at where the bones had been broken and malformed, the joints and membranes shredded and ruined. He sighed. “I had to do it. Snapped and crushed them. So I couldn’t escape this place.”

Sunny thought she might be sick. The only entrance she and Qibli had found had been more than half-way up the mountain. The only way in or out was with wings. But to mutilate himself…?! Qibli took a step forward, eyes scanning Stonemover. “If you can’t hunt, how’re you surviving?”

Stonemover didn’t answer at first. He lifted his head to a ledge up the rockwall and poked his snout into a bundle of sticks and straw. An indignant squawk erupted and a feathered head popped out. A hawk looked down at all three dragons most indignantly, as if it didn’t fear them at all.

“This… is Dinner,” said Stonemover in his slow, grating way. “We have a… symbiotic partnership. She brings me food, and I scare away any predator who would smash her eggs.”

The bird gave another loud shriek, as if it were reprimanding Stonemover for waking it up unnecessarily, before hunkering back down its nest to sleep again.

“You trained it,” Qibli whistled. “Impressive. Wouldn’t give my wings up for it though.”

“Had to,” he groaned. “To protect Thorn.” 

“From the NightWings?” Sunny asked. “Why did you leave them? They’re your tribe, aren’t they?”

“Couldn’t keep doing it. Couldn’t go along… with their plan anymore. Wasn’t right… They would hurt Thorn if they found out… about us. So I left. To stop the NightWings from using me again.”

“Because you’re an animus?” said Sunny.

Stonemover’s eyes flickered back to her, up and down. That had definitely surprised him. “Who  _ are  _ you?”

“I’m…” she faltered, how was it suddenly so hard to just say it? “Okay, the truth is, I’m your daughter. Thorn is my mother. I just found her - wow, only a few days ago. She told me about you - and I wanted to come meet you. I hope that’s okay?”

Had she talked too fast? Stonemover looked like he was in shock. “I can’t believe I have a daughter…I used to dream - I would think about what our dragonets would look like…”

“Bet you didn’t picture me.” she said ruefully.

For the first time, his lips twitched into an expression other than melodramatic despair. Sunny might almost say he looked amused! “And I bet you didn’t picture me, either.” 

“We need your help,” said Qibli.

“Oh! Yes, right,” she shook her head -  _ focus, Sunny!  _ “Morrowseer and the NightWings have taken over the rainforest. He’s after me and my friends. We need your help.”

“Me?” 

“Yeah,” Qibli nodded. “They need a safe place to stay. And whilst Jade Mountain is big enough, Morrowseer’s bound to notice a load of dragons coming and going all the time. But you’re an Animus! You can make it so Jade Mountain’s completely safe: Morrowseer and the NightWings won’t find it, and no one could get in except us.” 

Sunny hadn’t thought of that. She’d just thought to ask her father’s permission to use his ‘ _ property’  _ as a sanctuary. Afterall, if her father wanted solitude for so long, having a load of dragons just show up would be a bit rude. But Qibli had a point. With her father’s powers they could make sure their enemies could never find them.

Stonemover sighed -  _ he sighs a lot,  _ Sunny thought. “I can’t.”

“Because of your soul?”

“No, I literally can’t.” He spread his talons in a helpless gesture, the joints popping where he hadn’t used them in so long. “My power is not my own.”

“What’re you talking about?”

“Animus dragons are dangerous… magic is a curse…” Stonemover’s voice dropped even lower with old bitterness. “After so long, we go mad. It hurts our souls. The NightWings had a bad one… many centuries ago… We learned from it. Made it so it couldn’t happen again.”

Sunny and Qibli leaned forward unconsciously, eyes bright with curiosity in the torchlight.

“One of my ancestors… an Animus named Glassreader… he cast a spell that restricted his magic, and all those of his bloodline. So that they could not cast a spell… without the permission of their Keeper.”

“Oh, that’s clever!” Qibli said. “So they always had someone to second guess their spells to make sure there weren’t any dangers in it. And then even if they went bad, they’d need permission before they used magic to kill everyone. Which, obviously, they wouldn’t do!”

“So you can’t cast any spell unless your Keeper tells you to?” Sunny asked. “Who is it?”

She had a sinking feeling who it would be before her father confirmed it. “Morrowseer.”

“Oh, that’s just great!” she cursed, slamming her tail in frustration. “Yeah, sure, Morrowseer’s  _ totally  _ gonna give us permission to set up a super-secret-base that he can’t get in to!”

Qibli’s wings gave a weird tremble. “Does he know you’re here?”

Stonemover shook his head. “He probably thinks I’m dead… and is glad of it. He was never satisfied with the role of being my guardian that he’d been born into… That’s why he climbed to the Queen’s ear. Saved her life when she nearly froze to death… He wanted more…”

“ _ Born _ into?” Qibli said.

Stonemover nodded. “Animus power runs in the blood of my family… So do the Keepers… Morrowseer’s ancestors were the first. It has been in his family ever since. His bloodline… are the only ones who can do it.”

Sunny grabbed hold of Qibli’s arm, maybe digging her talons in a little too hard. Her heart was pounding. What were the chances that she found out she needed one specific dragon, who just so happened to be right where she needed them? Just as Sunny had been about ready to give up on the idea of destiny, here was proof! 

“Qibli!” she whispered excitedly. “I know  _ exactly _ who we have to find!”

* * *

As expected, the RainWings and the other Dragonets of Destiny had had to move on during the couple of weeks that Sunny had been away. But her friends had cleverly left clues for Sunny to follow. There had been happy reunions and of course Tsunami and Glory had yelled at her for being so reckless and worrying them all to death. But they’d all been so happy to be reunited, that Sunny’s fears of them all splitting up had been vanquished.

She’d then led her friends and a very nervous Moonwatcher back to Jade Mountain. Moon had been keeping to herself the past few months, Sunny had noticed. Whether because she sensed that no one trusted her because of who her father was, or living on her own for so long had made her that way. Sunny didn’t know, but she was now willing to extend the olive branch. 

She and Qibli led the other five to Stonemover’s chamber and explained their big plan: that Stonemover would create a magical shield around Jade Mountain so that no one could find them, wouldn’t even know they were there, couldn’t even get in unless invited. And Moonwatcher was going to give him the permission to cast the spell. And then Sunny and her friends and the RainWings could stay in peace, could operate as a resistance against Morrowseer and Blister and the evil things they were going to do. 

“But… Sunny…” Clay had tried to say in his best way, to make sure he wouldn’t hurt her feelings, because he was so caring and awesome like that. “We don’t have to fight…”

“But I want to.” she stood tall, her face resolute. “If we don’t, then this war is going to be without end. It’ll go on and on and on. Dragons will wonder why we didn’t save them. Everyone always thinks it’s someone else’s job to save the day. Someone else will fix the world. But someone has to stand up and  _ do it _ . And I want to be that kind of dragon. I want to give all those dragons out there hope, hope that this war can end, that we can build a better world!”

Oddly enough, it was Glory who immediately nodded her head and stood by Sunny. “I agree. Morrowseer and Blister won’t stop - not for anything. I say we not only stop them, but kick them back down to whatever holes they crawled out of.”

“And we could get other tribes to join us,” nodded Starflight, “The IceWings and MudWings would help, seeing as they opposed Blister most directly.”

“And the SkyWings and SeaWings too!” Clay said, excitement building in him. 

They all turned to Tsunami and she gave a dramatic sigh. “A big fight on our hands with slim chances of success but a great way to stick our talons up the noses of those who deserve it? You had me at  _ hello _ .”

And so it was decided, they would form a rebellion. They would really fight to stop this war. 

Moonwatcher was very quiet, daunted, as she was told her new responsibilities. Animus magic of the NightWings could be controlled by her. Stonemover seemed a little awkward, having to meet the daughter of his jailor and now deferring to a seven-and-a-half year old when he was probably four times that. As well as the fact that he was being asked to use his magic again. A risk to his soul.

Sunny stepped up beside him whilst the others were still talking. She put one talon on his, and was surprised with how warm he was. “If you really don’t want to…”

“If it… makes you safe…” he murmured slowly. 

“Hey! Quick question!” Tsunami said loudly. “What if Morrowseer or any of his NightWings get close enough to read our minds? Is the shield gonna stop him hearing our thoughts too?”

Stonemover gave out a weird barking-cough that took Sunny a moment to recognise as a laugh. “That… won’t be necessary. NightWings haven’t had the powers of old in over two hundred years.” 

Everyone stared at him, stunned. Then they swivelled their heads on Moon for confirmation. If it were possible, she looked ready to bolt. Tucking in her shaking wings, she nodded mutely. 

“Okay!” Qibli crowed with triumph, a stick in hand from where he’d been writing in the dirt of the cavern floor. He’d taken it upon himself to come up with the exact wording of the spell, so that they could be sure nothing would be left out or the magic couldn’t go awry. They all gathered round to observe his work, nodding with enthusiasm. Yes! This was going to be perfect! Qibli turned to Moon with a sideways smile. “Care to do the honours?” 

She nodded reluctantly, and stepped forward. “Um, S-Stonemover? I… I’m not sure how to do this. But… Okay. Stonemover, I give you permission to cast the magical shield around Jade Mountain - according to how Qibli’s written it.”

“Nice,” the SandWing nodded. “Specific and to the point.”

His praise seemed to let Moon relax a little bit. 

Stonemover stretched his neck and squinted his eyes to read the words in the dirt. He cleared his throat and pressed his talons into the stone. “ _ I enchant an invisible shield to stretch around Jade Mountain and its surrounding valleys. May it protect all those within from detection from the outside, so that it seems that the Mountain is uninhabited and uninteresting. Have the shield prevent any and all dragons from entering its borders unless they are invited inside. Only the dragons standing in this room right now shall have the power to extend that invitation, and no other. Once invited, that dragon may come and go as they please but shall be excluded should their invitation be rescinded. May this shield be unaffected by any other magic, until I enchant it again to be undone _ .”

That last line had been Sunny’s idea, in case Blister decided to kidnap Tsunami’s sister, Anemone, and use her magic to take down the shield. Tsunami had growled murderously at the thought of anyone touching her little sister. 

When the spell was done, was it Sunny’s imagination, or did she feel a slight electric tingle race across her scales? 

“Did it work?” Starflight asked, twisting his head to look around, even though he was blind and a blindfold had been tied across his eyes. 

“I… I think it did,” said Glory wondrously. 

“We did it!” Sunny cried and leapt for joy. “What’re we waiting for? Let’s get the other RainWings! Let’s go! Let’s save the world!” 


	5. The Voice

Within the next week, Jade Mountain was crowded with RainWings and all the ragtag dragons that had joined the Dragonets of Destiny in order to form the beginnings of ‘The Rebellion’. The spell had worked, and only allowed in those invited. Anyone else was repelled as if they had struck an invisible wall. It was all their dreams come true! 

Well, everyone except Moon. 

With so many dragons in one place, Moon suddenly felt her head crowded with too many voices, too many emotions. She often couldn’t stay in crowds for more than a few moments without succumbing to a vicious headache. There were plenty of spaces in Jade Mountain where she could retreat, dark caverns where it was nice and quiet. But then she was on her own, a different pain replaced it.

Over the next six months, a terrible sadness had threatened to swallow her up. The grief since losing her mother was sucking all the life out from inside her. She often cried herself to sleep remembering seeing her mother and father fighting, losing sight of her mother behind the flames. Was she alive? Captured? On more than one occasion, Moon had been tempted to slip away and go to her father, to obey all his commands so long as she got her mother back. 

Fear was what held her back. Fear of her father’s retribution for disobeying him in the first place, fear of what her powers would be used for. Kinkajou was the only other comfort in these trying times. All the other RainWings disliked her (as much as a RainWing could) because she resembled the ones who’d imprisoned and attacked them, who had stolen their home. Even if they didn’t show it, Moon could hear the whispers in their minds when she walked past. Kinkajou was the only one who was ever happy to see her. And Moon was thankful every day to have her back. 

But Kinkajou liked to be sociable - she was happiest when surrounded by dragons. And Moon found herself isolated from her only friend because of her inability to control her powers. Frustrated tears pricked the corners of her eyes as she tried to push the voices out. All the techniques her father tried to teach, she did them again. But they were just as unsuccessful as last time. 

“Ow,” Moon whispered, stopping in the middle of a hallway to clutch her head. She was too close to the big cavern that Clay had nicknamed ‘ _ the prey centre’ _ , where everyone decided to go get food. Moon often avoided the place until the dead of night so that she was the only one there. Even when she was tunnels away, the amount of dragons in there was enough to almost split her skull open. “Ow, ow, ow!”

**_Aha, there you are._ **

A voice unlike anything Moon had ever heard before washed through her mind. Deep and resonant, articulated and cool, with the slightest hint of music just beyond her reach. Her head snapped up and she looked around. Where had that come from? It had almost sounded like the voice was talking to her. 

**_I_ ** **am** **_talking to you._ **

Instant paralyzing fear made Moon almost panic herself into a frenzy. All through those months of travelling, she’d wondered whether to tell the Dragonets of Destiny about her powers. Her father had always instructed to keep the extent of them a secret, so that she would have an extra weapon up her sleeve. But she hadn’t wanted that! And yet, when she met Stonemover, and realized her new responsibilities, he’d told everyone that NightWings didn’t have powers anymore. So now Moon was afraid that if she did tell someone, they would all hate her, think she was a spy for her father and send her away. She’d decided to keep it a secret a little while longer until she could figure out the best way to say it.

But had her self-isolation, her constant headaches, her behaviour, given her away? Had someone found her out and was now toying with her?!

**_Three moons,_ ** said the voice,  **_you’re a jumpy one._ **

“Who are you?!” Moon whispered. She trotted to the next cave along, ducking her head inside to see if anyone was there. Empty. She moved on to the next. 

**_Who are you?_ ** He countered - at least, Moon thought it was a he, it sounded like a he. And then, as if he’d plucked the answer out of her brain he said,  **_Ah, hello Moonwatcher._ **

“Just Moon, please,” she said instantly before she could stop herself. Her father was the only one who called her  _ Moonwatcher _ . Everyone else who was friendly, who was good, called her  _ Moon _ .

The voice seemed to consider that, and then said gently,  **_As you wish, Moon._ **

By this time, she’d checked all the nearby rooms. No one around, not even a trace of their scent in the air. So what did that mean? Her mystery voice was being very direct, almost as if he were talking to her mind-to-mind. But then that must mean he was another telepath! How was that possible? And how was he reading anything out of her brain? 

**_It’s almost as if you’ve had no training at all._ ** He chuckled.  **_How old are you? Seven and a half? Who has mistreated you, to leave you like this for so long?_ **

Moon tried not to think about her father, about all his failed lessons and how she was so useless. If this truly was another telepath, then he was confirming how much of a failure her training had been. 

**_No, no, no!_ ** He said hurriedly, and Moon’s mind was suddenly filled with music. She’d only heard music once, when she’d gotten too close to the RainWing village at age 3. She didn’t even know what instruments were making this beautiful sound right now, but the music that her voice was thinking of was calm, slow, soothing.  **You** **_are not the failure, little Moon. You just haven’t been instructed. Forgive me - I meant no offense._ **

“Then please stop doing that,” she said. “Stop taking things out of my head. Tell me who you are… please.”

**_You really don’t know?_ ** He sounded genuinely puzzled.  **_Hmmm, fascinating._ **

Moon waited a moment, her tail tapping the floor. “Um, not to seem rude, but I don’t like to repeat myself and sound like an idiot.”

The voice laughed.  **_My apologies, you could say I’ve not done this sort of thing in a while. But I’ll give it a try. Nice to meet you, Moon. I... am Darkstalker._ **

And just like that, she felt the music vanish. She looked around her, as if her mystery voice - this Darkstalker - was suddenly right behind her. But nothing. Drawing her wings in, she couldn’t help but give a slight shiver. Her emotions danced on the dividing line between fear… and hope. 

“Hey, MOONY!” 

Moon leapt with a shriek! She nearly tripped over her own tail to turn and face the too-bright-scales of Kinkajou. How had the little RainWing done that? Moon had been so focused on her mystery voice, she hadn’t even noticed Kinkajou’s brain full of bubbles and bolts of electricity. Behind her was Qibli, which was rather unusual. Qibli liked to be in the centre of things, preferably next to Sunny. He had the fastest working brain Moon had ever encountered. He often took one look at a dragon and made observations that Moon would’ve never guessed. 

“You were doing that weird thing, where you went off into la-la-land,” said Kinkajou brightly. “So I thought I’d snap you out of it, because of course you’d much rather come get some mangos with us!”

“S-Sorry,” Moon stuttered, rectifying her posture. “I was just… lost in thought, I guess.”

“I get that,” said Qibli. “With the war and everything, I think we’ve all got a lot on our mind.”  _ Thinking about her father?  _ His mind guessed.  _ She’s very shy, doesn’t like crowds or talk much. Keeps to herself. Nervous or a potential leak? Was so sure I had her pegged as friendly, but after what Tsunami told me… Will need to keep an eye on this one. Could swing either way.  _

“Yeah,” Moon mumbled, trying to block him out. What had Tsunami told him? Were they all suspicious of her? 

“ANYWAY!” Kinkajou said in a loud sing-song voice. She grabbed hold of Moon’s arm and she heard louder than ever the bursts of colour out of the RainWing that made Moon feel like she’d been painted all over. “You need to come with us! Someone found a mango tree growing on the edges of the valley and we  _ have  _ to go get some!”

“Um, maybe not,” Moon tried extracting herself so that Kinkajou’s thoughts weren’t pressing in on her so hard. “You know how I prefer to be up at night. I’ll get something later.”

“But then they’ll be all gone,” Kinkajou pouted.  _ Bromeliad’s wrong! I know she is. Moon’s just odd. She’s NOT boring and she’s NOT evil! I’d know, wouldn’t I? Please come with me and show them all! I can handle shy, but please don’t be boring and maybe-evil.  _

Moon didn’t know what to do. Both of them were suspicious, and if she tried to slink away now, they might both begin to think everyone else was right about her. And Kinkajou was looking at her right now as if she were about to smash her favourite toy. Moon wanted to go with them. It had been forever since she’d had a mango… But the thought of going into the prey centre right now made her stomach flip with dread. 

“Hey,” warm scales brushed hers. She looked up and was surprised to notice that Qibli had stepped up beside her, his wing gingerly brushing her. “If you’re worried about crowds, we’ll stick to the corners. Just talk to us and don’t worry about anyone else.”  _ Was that too forward? Or was it comforting? If I keep being reassuring, will she like me, or think I’m coddling her?  _

Kinkajou fluttered her small wings. “Yeah! We’ll protect you from all them frogfaces!”  _ See? No one makes nasty whispers about my best friend! _

Best-friend? Moon felt a little lighter at the thought that anyone was still her friend. And if she only had Kinkajou (and  _ maybe  _ Qibli) that would be enough.

And then she heard the voice say,  **_Oh Moon, my new favourite dragon. This dragonet with her brain full of bubbles is not your only possibility. I believe you and I are destined for a great friendship._ **

“Lead the way,” she said quickly to cover up whatever face she made when she heard him. 

Maybe she shouldn’t listen to this new voice, she wondered as she walked. Her mind tried to puzzle him out. If she was talking to another telepath, then that meant Darkstalker had to be another NightWing. But Stonemover had said there weren’t any powers among the tribe in at least two hundred years. And her father had always told her she was the first born with powers in living memory. Was Darkstalker someone who had lived outside the tribe, just as she had? Could she take that chance? Maybe she couldn’t -  _ shouldn’t  _ \- trust him. He could be a spy for all she knew, trying to get to her on the orders of her father. 

She tried hard not to think about that. 

As she followed Qibli and Kinkajou, she began to sense the dozens of minds up ahead. With every step she took, the louder they became. The urge to shy away from the pain of the oncoming headache was almost ingrained in her now. But no! She told herself she would carry on. For Kinkajou. For the purpose of making friends. Gritting her teeth, brow crinkled, she walked into the wall of pain. 

_ Just focus on taking one step at a time, _ she told herself.  _ Just one step… _

The prey centre was one of the largest caverns in the mountain, with one wall partly open to the valley beyond. Goats and deer that naturally inhabited these lands were fair game to any who wanted to catch them, and the trees and bushes were plentiful in nuts and fruits. There was even a large lake within the mountain’s borders filled with fish. And every dragon who caught their food would bring it back here to feast and chat. It made for great bonding amongst all the different dragons but it meant that all their minds were clustered together, voices overlapping and building up to the ceiling. 

_ Focus, focus…  _ Moon thought. One step, then another. Her mantra wasn’t entirely successful in blocking out all the noise. All it was doing was waiting to pounce on her as soon as her concentration broke. Which it did when she was so absorbed in getting her feet to work that she almost stepped on Qibli’s tail, before he hurriedly swept the deadly barb away from her. 

“Whoa! Careful there, don’t you wanna keep all your talons?” he gave her that lopsided smile that meant he was joking. 

Moon winced. “Sorry,”

As promised, Kinkajou and Qibli led her over to a quiet corner where the nearest dragons were still a good twenty feet away. Kinkajou immediately hurried out to a large stone shelf where someone had left piles of fruit for others to pick from. Qibli was watching Sunny talking to Tsunami and a bunch of RainWings, his mind cataloguing potential threats. Moon just sat in the corner and tried not to look like she was in agony - which, to clarify, she absolutely was. 

**_I could help, you know,_ ** chimed in the voice.  **_That is, if you’re done categorizing me as ‘THE SINISTER STRANGER!’ Oh, that sounds like a terribly trashy thriller._ **

_ Yes _ , Moon thought back,  _ because I should completely trust a random voice that just pops into my head one day. Wow, thinking about it like that makes me sound insane. _

**_I could say you’re not, but as you pointed out, I’m just a voice. What do I know?_ **

Moon thought about it a moment, and then said:  _ I’m sorry. Do you really know how to help me?  _ She thought of all the lessons from her father, how nothing he told her to do worked. 

**_This time, you have a tutor who actually knows what he’s talking about,_ ** said Darkstalker with not a small hint of smugness. **_It’ll be fine, you’ll see._ **

_ Alright, I’m listening.  _

**_Imagine the sound of ocean waves._ **

_ I’ve never heard ocean waves.  _

**_What?_ ** He demanded.  **_Were you raised under a mountain? Fine, then - some other repetitive, soothing noise._ **

Moon made sure Qibli hadn’t noticed her staring off into space yet.  _ Would rain work? _

**_Yes. Exactly. Fill your head with rain._ **

She cast her mind back in time, to when she was a small dragonet. Hiding in her little fern nest, in the rainforest, avoiding the detection of predators and dragons alike. The rain came down through the trees, sliding along her scales patting the leaves all around her. She waited there, sometimes for days, waiting for her mother to return. 

**_You tragic little dragon,_ ** said Darkstalker sympathetically. 

_ I’m not a tragic little dragon, _ she protested.  _ Mother tried to save me. If it weren’t for her, I’d have been raised on the volcano.  _

**_Why were the tribe on a volcano, anyway?_ ** Before Moon could puzzle on his curious response, he continued.  **_Now, hold on to that falling rain sound, and then imagine that you’re taking each voice you hear and slipping it inside one of the raindrops. After a minute, the mental howling of all these dragons will be drowned in the downpour._ **

Moon braced herself, closed her eyes, and imagined the rainstorm. She let in the voices and was almost crushed. The first voice she caught hold of was a rainwing yammering about how he disliked apples and pears. Going back to the sound of rain, Moon imagined the raindrop engulfing him. 

Gone.

Eyes popped open in surprise, Moon was almost floored at the success. As if this were some glass treasure, she tentatively reached out for the next voice. Gone as well. Qibli was closest to her, could it work on him? Though his brain was fascinating, she put him away inside a raindrop. And even his noise left. Excited now, Moon summoned a monsoon of rain in her mind and washed away the voices around her.

The peace was so immediate, Moon thought she might shed a tear. Without her conscious thought, her wings flared open. 

_ Wow, her mood suddenly got better,  _ Qibli’s voice returned abruptly. He smiled at her. “You look happy,”

“Just figuring something out,” she said.  _ Why did his voice come back? _

**_It is more difficult when the thoughts are specifically about you._ ** Darkstalker replied readily.  **_It will take a lot of practice to get quick at it._ **

_ I will practice! _ She vowed.  _ Thank you, thank you so much! This is amazing! _

**_It is the first trick a mind reading dragonet learns, or else they might go mad. You should’ve had these lessons soon after hatching. It’s rather a surprise you’re as even tenuously sane._ **

_ Very funny.  _

**_Perhaps now you can label me as ‘the funny voice’, instead of the ‘sinister stranger’._ **

_ Maybe, _ Moon smiled over as Kinkajou came trotting back with a basket full of mangos balanced on her back.  _ And… Darkstalker? It’s nice to meet you too.  _

* * *

A slither through damp ash, feet trampling over blackened rubble. Sodden dirt clung to scales and stuck between toes. Smoke still lingered on the wind, even after months. The cliffs were desolate and broken like the fragments of pottery, scroll, brickwork and bone on the sandy floor.

Blister surveyed the ruins of the SeaWing Summer Palace. She’d been here, at the start of every month, to see if a message had been left for her. But nothing. Coral and her bubble-breathing, idiotic tribe had vanished, the alliance Blister had created slipping through her talons like melting ice. After everything she’d promised them, all the careful manipulations she’d had in place - all gone!

Her tail twitched dangerously. She wanted to kill someone. Five someones, preferably. Those dragonets had been nothing but a thorn in her side!

But maybe not for much longer. Morrowseer had come through. He was willing to carry on their alliance, that they work together to both take over the Kingdom of Sand  _ and  _ hunt down some pesky dragonets.

With the NightWings and now the majority of the SandWings on her side, perhaps coming back to this burned out ruin was a waste of time. Maybe there was some comfort in thinking Coral would return. Morrowseer was the more powerful ally, but he was also unable to be manipulated. Blister didn’t like the fact that he acted like he knew more than he let on. She’d always been skeptical of the claim that NightWings had mind-reading or foresight powers, but there was always that little knot of worry at the back of her brain. 

Someone who could read her mind and see her future decisions was a powerful ally; and Blister knew she’d be a fool to turn down such an alliance. But still, it made her nervous - though she would never admit it. 

_ ARGH,  _ she hated NightWings. 

Wingbeats sounded behind her. She spun and crouched, tail raised and poised to strike. But it was no NightWing or SeaWing. It was another SandWing. One she didn’t recognise. His cheeks were tattooed with dragon skulls - a sure sign that he was of peasant birth. He landed, staying well out of striking range, and bowed. 

“Queen Blister,” he said stiffly. “My grandfather sends his congratulations for winning back the Stronghold.” 

“Does he,” Blister hissed, looking the stranger up and down. “And should I care what your grandfather thinks?”

“Maybe,” the stranger shrugged. “Depends on if you can make use of his thoughts.”

She made a show of turning in a frustrated circle, making sure to hide her careful step closer with a flick of her wings. “Do not bore me with riddles. Why’re you here? You had your chance to pledge your loyalty to your rightful queen.” 

She’d given everyone in the kingdom of sand exactly two days to come to the Stronghold and bend the knee. Painful execution and public dismemberment were to be the punishments of all those who did not. Her courtyard had been flooded with dragons just hours after the proclamation had been sent out. And all those who didn’t come fled to criminal pits like the Scorpion Den or any of the outlying oases. Blister had quite enjoyed seeing the looks of horror on the faces of her subjects when they’d walked through the front gate, right underneath the severed head of Burn, blackened with dragonbite-viper venom as it was. 

“My grandfather sent me to offer you a proposition,” said the stranger. “He knows fightin’ a war on two fronts is hard work. Especially when you don’t know which of your subjects to trust.”

“It’s better to not trust anyone,” she retorted. She didn’t even trust her own generals or any of her soldiers. In fact, she had gotten them all to spy on one another for her. 

Another shrug. “Burn found that out the hard way. Always had insurrections among the people. Shipments disrupted, supply routes robbed, dragons she wanted dead conveniently vanishing. My grandfather knows who did all that. A little band of would-be heroes who call themselves the Outclaws.”

Blister paused in her continued attempts to get close enough to strike. She had heard of such discourse in the Kingdom during Burn’s occupation, but she had assumed it to be the failings of her brutish sister. If this was going to be a recurring issue for her too, then that would be annoying.

“You need someone who can play their game. They’re criminals, we’re criminals. They spy on you, we spy on them. They try to make things hard for you, will kill them. My grandfather can make that happen for you.”

“Oh really? If your grandfather is so smart as to deliver on all these promises, then he can’t want to do it for free.”

“He doesn’t think his demands are unreasonable. Wealth, stature. Small things compared to the service we provide.”

“And so long as the gold flows, you’ll stay where I need you.” Blister hummed thoughtfully. “And you’ll get rid of this Outclaw problem for me?”

“We won’t get in the way of the guards or nothin’.” he said. “We’ll just rough up the little people, make sure they know who they bow to.” 

For the first time that night, Blister grinned. “Deal.”

* * *

One would think that lying absolutely still would be the easiest thing in the world. But the urge to move just that little fraction is unconsciously irresistible. A twitch of the foot, a slight twist of the lower back, even the simplicity of tilting one’s neck for a more comfortable position. All these things one didn’t notice they did until they were taken away. 

A familiar panic began to swell in  **_his_ ** stomach. Darkstalker had not been one to believe he was claustrophobic before. Was a phobia something that could be learnt? Either way he didn’t care for it. 

He fought it back. Tried his hardest to remain calm. Rock pressed against every scale he had, to the point where he wasn’t quite sure where up and down was anymore. There was only a small pocket around his face where he could puff out a plume of fire to illuminate the space in front of him. He’d learned not to do that very quickly. It was frightening to see the wall of stone and earth so close.

When he’d woken up, confused and frightened, he’d tried to move, and when he’d been restrained, he’d gone for his magic. The words had tumbled through his head, out of a voice that had croaked and cracked from disuse and dehydration. But… nothing. His magic was there, he could feel it, the near constant quiet hum through his talons. And yet, it would not obey him. How?! Several times he had tried, and every time he failed. Nothing would move this rock. A clever animus might’ve enchanted his prison to never yield to him, so he’d tried other spells: ones to make him shrink, a spell to instantly transport him somewhere else, even a spell to turn him yellow - just to see if  _ SOMETHING  _ would happen! 

But the thing that made him special, the thing that he’d been made for… was no longer his to command. 

A breeze trickled past his nose, a welcomed, if slight change in the damp, stale air. Was it raining outside? He stuck out his long forked tongue, trying to catch even the barest hint of moisture. By the Great Dragon, he was so very thirsty. By all the stars - he was so  _ hungry!  _ For not the first time, he cursed his short-sighted, foolish past-self for not thinking of this outcome when he’d made himself immortal. He could breathe in all the foul, stale air he wanted, could starve himself until his stomach finally ruptured, could not drink until his throat turned to dust, and he would still live. 

What a curse he had put upon himself. 

But was there still hope? 

Willing to do anything to rid himself of the torture that was his own existence, he happily escaped into his own mind and the minds of others. Jade Mountain was crammed full of dragons, the most he’d had anywhere near him in months. After only having Stonemover’s thoughts as company since he’d awoken, so much noise was a welcome change. But there was only one mind he wanted to be in right now.

Moonwatcher. 

He’d known she’d come. When he’d finally accepted his current state, accepted that he was trapped, abandoned, alone, he’d flung himself into the timelines to see if there was a way out. Clearsight had always been better than him at sorting through all the possible futures. He’d only ever looked at the most likely and left it at that. Now, with nothing but time on his talons, he built up that muscle he’d underused all his life. He finally used his moon-given power to its potential. He’d looked into his possible futures. 

And that’s when he’d found  _ her _ . His saviour, his salvation, his tenuous thread to sanity.

She was the only mindreader who could hear him. The only one who could prove to him that he wasn’t dead and haunting his own corpse. She was the only one who had a shot at getting him free. He wasn’t sure how, yet. There were so many possibilities, and he didn’t know all the factors that had led up to this moment. Once he had those answers, he might be able to form a plan. With Moon at the centre.

But she wasn’t what he’d expected. She was untrained, fragile, lost. Through her thoughts and those around her, he’d garnered that NightWings no longer had their signature abilities. She was unique, the only one. Something about it pointed to an island, a volcano, but he couldn’t quite see how that fit together. Moon had been alone and miserable most of her life, teetering on the edge of madness from her abilities. 

Inside of her was this fierce yearning to be loved, to be treated with kindness and care. Darkstalker had very rarely been moved to pity. But he could somewhat relate to the flashes of horrible memories he found in her head. She was funny and in his visions of the future, he saw them being great friends. And she trusted him, and though she was suspicious at first, there was no sense of  _ judgement  _ in her emotions. Not even his beloved Clearsight could say the same - she had always judged him by actions she could see him  _ possibly  _ commit. But Moon really knew nothing about him, and treated him like his own person. He felt an unexpected urge to shield her from all the wrongs that had befallen her. And that was why he had reached out today to teach her. 

Darkstalker knew this child was not a natural survivor. The world would crush her under its cruel heel without compunction, never seeing the delicate petals that lay bruised and trampled in the mud. Spiteful rivals, unkind critics, ruthless leaders, and dubious suitors… He cringed at the pain that inevitably lay ahead of her. Without the protection of a stronger individual she would be destroyed body and soul by the brutal demands of a notoriously callous world.*

Right now, Moon was flying through the valley alone. From her thoughts, he gathered it was late at night. She preferred to be up at night, unlike all the other dragons around her. She was compromising, sleeping half the day and half the night, so that she could at least be awake with the others for some of the time so as to not seem odd to them. Darkstalker found it rather adorable, if a little pathetic, how far she was willing to go to please others.

**_It’s a pity none of the other tribes are nocturnal, as we are,_ ** he chimed in her head. He caught her by surprise, and she did a little flip in the air.  **_They don’t get to revel in the beauty of the moons as we can._ **

Oh, what he wouldn’t give to be out there now in the moonlight! To feel the wind under his wings! The pang of longing that hit him, the despair, was so great he felt the fraying rope of his sanity give a little shudder. 

_ Why would we be any different?  _ Moon thought back to him. At least she was getting used to the idea of these mental conversations. She adjusted quickly, could keep up, he liked that about her. _ I’m only awake at night because it's a habit. Easier to hide in the rainforest at night. _

Darkstalker’s real body snorted.  **_Nonsense! You’re behaving like a normal NightWing. Clue is in the name - we are meant to be awake at night._ **

_ Oh, but my father always said - _

**_I have a feeling your father wouldn’t know what an actual NightWing was even if it bit his nose off._** From her memories of this imposing father with intense gold eyes, Darkstalker knew he would have a few choice words for him, if he were free. He’d made a mess of his daughter and blamed her for his own mistakes. It struck a little too close to home.

_ You’re…  _ she hesitated,  _ you  _ are  _ a NightWing, aren’t you? You’re another telepath, like me.  _

**_No extra merits to you for solving that mystery._ **

She laughed a little, and he could feel the tension ease inside her.  _ But how? I thought I was the only one. Did you grow up outside of the tribe too? _

**_Well…_** What to tell her? **_I didn’t grow up in the society our current brethren seems to have adopted. Where I come from, it was much different._**

_ Where  _ do  _ you come from? How could it be so different?  _

**_Maybe that’s a question to ask other NightWings. Things have definitely changed since I was around._ **

_ You aren’t making any sense.  _ She got a little angry then, Darkstalker was surprised to see. She had a little more fire in her than he’d realised.  _ Fine. At least tell me where you are right now.  _

**_Trapped. Alone._** He had to be careful to make sure his mind didn’t give anything away. Of how he felt like clinging to her as if he were about to be dragged to the ocean floor and drowned and she was the only thing that could save him. **_I think we find ourselves on opposite sides of the same coin, my dear. You are surrounded by dragons and don’t want to hear any of them. Whereas I’m starved of conversation and listen intently for any kind of stimulation. You’re the only person who’s been able to talk back to me._**

_ I never thought of it like that…  _ There was warmth in her mind, as if she’d brushed her wing with his to confirm their camaraderie.  _ Mother always told me my powers were a curse, and they’ve certainly never done anything to make my life easier.  _ She adjusted her flight pattern to return towards the mountain. _ Darkstalker? Why am I like this? Do you know? _

She didn’t?  **_Of course. Even if the tribe has lost touch with our powers, the cause of them was a well documented fact._ **

_ Really? Because no one seems to know now.  _

**_I’ll give you three guesses._ **

Her talons touched down on the rocky ledge. She inspected her shadow from the three moons, each in various stages of fullness.  _ Is… Is it the Moons? _

**_Yes! One full moon at hatching gives a dragonet either telepathy or precognition. Two full moons gives them both._ **

_ I was born under two full moons,  _ she thought more to herself. Then: _ What about you?  _

This was a difficult situation. He immediately checked the timelines. He could only tell her things in stages or else overwhelm her. But if he kept  _ this  _ bit of information a secret, there was more than a probable chance she would resent it later.  **_I… I hatched under three. Three full moons strengthens the powers tenfold. My skill at mindreading is unmatched. And I could see not just one future, as you can, but all the possible futures._ **

_ I can’t imagine it being any worse that it already is. _

**_I’ll teach you,_** he promised. **_Soon you will not have to fear your gifts. Just don’t wish to be ordinary, little Moon._**

She was quiet, and in her mind he sensed that she was smiling, if only a little. She liked it when he liked her just as she was. And then he watched a stray thought get caught in her attention and blow up.  _ The moons… I wonder if that is why the tribe doesn’t have our powers anymore! On the volcanic island, there was no way for moonlight to get through to our eggs.  _

**_That would make sense,_** he agreed, **_but for them to be born without powers long enough to forget them… More time must’ve passed than I realised..._**

She hesitated, but her mind was coloured with concern, with a growing care for him.  _ Are you hurt? Can I find you? _

**_Not without leaving your precious barrier, I suspect. And I don’t think you can do anything anyway._ **

_ How’re you trapped? Who has you prisoner? Is it Blister?  _

Darkstalker’s heart clenched, bitterness marred his words.  **_Someone who I thought I could trust put me here. But I don’t know where she’s gone or when she’s coming back._ ** __

_ Who is it? What did you mean by more time has passed?  _

He’d been dreading asking this, but he needed to know.  **_What year is it, Moon? How many years since the scorching?_ **

_ Five thousands and thirteen. _

The world stopped spinning.

**_WHAT?!_ ** He roared. 

He pulled out of her mind with such violent abruptness that even he nearly felt sick. Back into the rock he was cast, into the hell that was his own body. The calculations burned his brain. If he had any moisture in his body left to shed, he might’ve wept. 

He really was all alone. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * = is a paraphrased section in loving dedication to Susan Kay


	6. Settling In

For three days, Moon anxiously waited for Darkstalker to come back. She felt oddly distressed. After so long on her own, she’d seemed to find someone that understood what it was like to be her, someone who knew her dark little secret. It felt crazy, because she’d only known Darkstalker a few hours and yet it already felt like she was dependent on him for company. 

Darkstalker was an unusual mind because he had a wall of solid stone around his thoughts that she couldn’t penetrate. She could only hear from him what he wanted her to hear, and the rest of him was sealed away tight. Yet, when he’d said he was a prisoner, Moon had felt the walls that kept her out crumble just a little bit, and she saw inside him. There was a deep, hollow void inside him, a desperation, a fear. It made her want to go out and find him, help him. He’d saved her, why couldn’t she do the same? 

But then she’d told him the date, and he’d freaked out and vanished. Frankly, Moon was starting to wonder if he had been a figment of her imagination all along. 

Moon shook her head, as if she could physically rid herself of her worries. She carried on down the tunnel, scroll tightly tucked under her wing. A child-like excitement bubbled up. Moon had only ever read scrolls that contributed towards her training, yet she loved them, especially history. Scrolls allowed her to transport herself into the past, or into stories and fairytales that captured her imagination. It was simple escapism and she adored it. 

The first RainWing scouts had left Jade Mountain for the first mission of the Rebellion. They’d been instructed to simply gather intel on what was going on in the outside world. Glory’s brother, Jambu, had been on that mission, and had decided to grab as many scrolls as he could find. Starflight had of course been overjoyed to have  _ any  _ scrolls back in his possession - before he remembered that he was blind now. Fatespeaker had brightly volunteered to read the scrolls to him until they could come up with a solution to his problem. 

Considering that Jambu couldn’t read, only a couple of the scrolls he’d picked up had been of any use. One of the more pointless ones had been a copy of a famous SkyWing fairytale:  _ Prince of the Sun.  _ Moon had asked to keep it, as the others weren’t using it. She’d carried it around with her ever since, reading and re-reading it. Starflight and Sunny had showered her with tales of things called  _ libraries,  _ where stacks on stacks of scrolls were kept. Moon had wished more than anything to have one of her own!

“Come on!” shouted a voice, making Moon jump. She peered out of a ledge to see Tsunami pacing up and down a line of RainWings on the valley floor, each holding long sticks. “Hold the spear the right way up! It doesn't take a genius to figure it out, Dazzling! Now, there’s only one rule to remember when you attack an enemy with a spear… stick ‘em with the pointy end!”

The rainwings all looked at their sticks, some of which had pointy bits at both ends. Moon chuckled to herself. She practiced the raindrop trick, as she’d promised, and stored away each of the mental-voices to where she could not hear them. Testing herself (as if being impressive enough would win back her invisible friend), she lounged on the rock ledge and pulled out her scroll to read. 

She lost herself in the words so well that she almost didn’t hear Turtle’s quiet thoughts approach. He’d been the one that’d found Moon, back in the rainforest. He wandered away right into her little grove. SeaWing’s could see even in pitch darkness, so he’d seen her even when she’d tried to hide in the deepest shadows. But he wasn’t very loud, and Moon had instantly seen that he was kind, gentle. Eager to please but always wanting to fade into the background. It was through him that she’d met the Dragonets of Destiny.

Moon smiled at Turtle as he laid down heavily beside her. He was plumper than other dragons Moon had met, but he was strong. How else could he have pushed over that half-dead tree all those months ago? 

“I’ve read that one,” he smiled. “Mother had it imported and rewritten with her water-proof ink.”

“I never knew the SkyWings used to worship the sun,” Moon said. There was a lot about the other tribes that she didn’t know. But through being around the RainWings, around the Dragonets of Destiny, she was learning so much more about all the tribes. It proved what she’d heard in their heads - if only they all knew how alike they were, then maybe there wouldn’t be any war. 

Turtle shrugged. “Makes sense, doesn’t it? SkyWings love the high places, don’t they? What’s higher than the sun? What dominates the sky.”

“You like to read too?” 

“Mother likes to write stories. Between being the Queen, running a kingdom, worrying about heirs… 31 sons aren’t that important. Reading her scrolls was my way of being close to her, you know?” he looked away sheepishly. “I used to write my own when I was small.” 

The image of a piece of slate popped up in his mind, his small talons writing on it and then wiping the words away. Before Moon could concentrate on the image, Turtle’s mind shoved it aside. Instead he thought about his mother, about her holding him and proclaiming him the heir to her heart, whether that be through his writing or because he was heroic. Turtle often did that - his thoughts would shift very quickly, as if he were trying hard  _ not  _ to think about something. 

“I used to think,” he continued, “that if I wrote a good enough story…”

“She’d notice you,” Moon finished. It was almost painful how much Moon could relate to that. When her father had begun to take care of her, she’d done everything and anything she could think of to impress him, to make him smile. 

Turtle nodded slowly and finally looked at Moon. His dark green eyes had a beautiful golden-hazel centre like there was secret electric at the heart of him - 

Moon felt the ground tilt underneath her. Pressure pressed against her brain. A whirlwind swept her up and spun her into another place, another time. 

_ Cold marble floors under her talons, dirty from disuse. Large arched hallways, higher than any dragon, stretched both in front and behind her. A broken window on her right, the light of two moons streaming through the jagged fang-like edges. In front of Moon was a different SeaWing dragonet, a female. Her scales were a subtle blue-grey, the membranes of her wings and fins pale pink. A torch was brandished in her talons, the flames accentuating a dangerous glint in her large, glaring blue eyes. _

_ “You don’t know anything!” the other SeaWing hissed. “Crawl back home, brother! I’m fulfilling my destiny!” _

_ Movement on Moon’s right; it was Turtle. He was glowering at this SeaWing - his sister? His expression was so harsh, so quietly angry… Moon couldn’t imagine this being the same dragon she felt was so  _ safe.  _ Turtle widened his stance, his wings slowly flaring. “Then you leave me no choice.” _

_ He launched himself at the little SeaWing. They grappled across the floor. It was clear Turtle had the advantage of size, age, and strength. He pinned the little SeaWing to the dusty marble, his claws digging into her shoulders. She screamed and writhed pain. Turtle reached for her head. Was he going to snap her -?! _

And just like that, Moon was spun out of the vision and plopped back into her own body. She came back to herself wobbling woozily, her breathing coming in quick gasps. Bewilderment. Her brain tried to catch up with itself. Where was she? When was she? 

“Hey,” said a voice. A talon touched her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

Moon leapt away from the contact. She saw Turtle’s face, confused it with the dangerous one she saw in her vision and scrambled ungracefully to her feet. Her heart was racing. She placed a talon to it and tried to calm down. It was like she was trying to drag her mind back into the present, unstick it from the quicksand of the future. 

“S-Sorry,” she mumbled. “Just… I get these… episodes…” she trailed off lamely. 

“Oh,” Turtle looked a little overwhelmed. “I saw a soldier like that once. Post Traumatic Stress, right?”

“Yes, right,” she nodded vigorously. How else could she explain it away? It had taken her a little while to understand that these episodes were visions. Usually they came in her dreams, oddly specific and usually about dragons or things she’d never seen before. There was no control over them, no matter what her father said. But they’d saved her life a few times, warning her of trees that might fall on her in storms, or of crocodiles readying their ambush when she went to drink. 

Turtle’s mind was flashing all sorts of weird things at her, and with her concentration gone, the raindrops had let loose all the voices and she was struggling to put them away again. She had to get out of here. Trying to hide her shaking claws, she snatched up her scroll. 

“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “But I’ve got to go - talk to you later!”

And she ran so fast, she didn’t see the royal blue eyes watching her from the valley floor.

* * *

“I don’t trust Moonwatcher,” said Tsunami later that evening. She and the four other Dragons of Destiny (because  _ really _ , they weren’t dragonets anymore so why should they be called that?) were sat in what they’d designated their ‘war-room’. From Sunny’s mother, they’d managed to get a large map of Pyrrhia and pinned it to the cave wall with wooden stakes. In the centre of the cavern was a large stone they’d all carried in to act as a table, so they could compile notes and strategies and reports. But it wasn’t going very well so far, seeing as how the majority of the rebellion was illiterate. 

“What, why?” asked Sunny. 

“For one: she’s Morrowseer’s daughter, how can we trust she’s not here to spy on us. For Two: she’s a NightWing, none of them can be trusted-”

Starflight turned his head in her vague direction. “Hey!”

“And for three…” the SeaWing paused, considering. “I don’t know! She just… she’s too quiet. Keeps to herself too much. It’s suspicious.”

“She’s the opposite of you,” said Glory. “That’s heaven in my book.” 

Before Tsunami could retaliate, Clay nudged her shoulder with his own. “Come on, Tsunami, don’t be like that. Moon’s not a spy. She stood up to her father for us.”

“Could’ve been an act. Maybe being master-liars runs in the family.” Tsunami said stubbornly.

“But her mother fought Morrowseer, she fought him to get her daughter away from him. Starflight, you saw it too right?”

“Funnily enough, Clay,” Starflight sighed, “I didn’t see much of anything.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”

“Whatever grudge you have, Tsunami,” Glory spread her colour-changing wings to call seriousness to the matter. “Deal with it. It’s smart to be suspicious, but we can’t kick her out. Moon’s here now, and like it or not, we need to keep it that way.”

“We do?” the other four said simultaneously. 

She rolled her eyes. “Yes. Know why? Because Moon knows about us and where we are. She knows about the shield, and she’s also one of the few dragons who can invite others in. And most importantly, she knows about Stonemover and can give him permission for any spell. All that information is too dangerous to be allowed to leave this mountain.”

“But, wait!” Sunny pipped up. “We’re not keeping her… a  _ prisoner _ , are we?”

“Not officially. But if Moon  _ is  _ debating which side to belong to, we need to make sure it’s  _ ours  _ she chooses.”

“But she’s already chosen our side!” Clay stressed. “She had months to turn back if she wanted to. All of us have family that we’re not proud of, but we’re here anyway - just like Moon.”

They each looked at the ground, shame-faced. For a moment, Tsunami even cursed Clay’s big heart and his way of getting under their skin with the truth. 

“Okay,” said Starflight. “Everyone’s got a point. Moon’s not a prisoner here and we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about her just because of her father. However, she hasn’t really done anything to prove her loyalty, either.”

“She’s not once offered to go beyond the shield,” said Tsunami. 

Sunny gave her a look. “Which also means she’s never once tried to get away to  _ send back a report _ , or whatever you imagine.”

“But right now,” Glory brushed her tail along the flimsy collection of scrolls and notes on their table. “We need all the able-bodied dragons we can get. My RainWings are great spies in theory, but they can’t read, so we can’t have any reports to keep track of, just their say-so. How’s their battle training coming?”

“Slow,” Tsunami admitted. “I’m doing my best, but the pacifist lifestyle is hard for some of them to shake.”

“We need allies.” Starflight gingerly felt his way along the floor, until he stood beside Glory. “We can’t fight two tribes on our own. And we don’t even know what Blister and Morrowseer are doing beyond the immediate land around our borders. We need alliances.”

“My mother might help,” said Tsunami. “But unless we can find a way to get a message to her at the bottom of the sea, she’s won’t come to us.”

“We helped Ruby get her throne,” Starflight tapped his chin with a claw. Glory’s scales briefly shifted colour to a mottled yellow before she got them under control. “Maybe we can use that fact to make her more sympathetic to our cause.”

“The NightWings have this ancient rivalry with the IceWings,” Sunny nodded. “My father was telling me. Apparently, it goes back over a thousand years.”

“And us opposing Blister will make it look like we’re choosing Blaze, Glacier’s candidate.” Tsunami grinned. “Surely they can’t  _ not  _ side with us!”

Sunny made a face. “I don’t think we should lead them on like that.”

“So long as the war comes to an end, what does it matter?” said Glory. 

“Fatespeaker and I can come up with some letters,” Starflight began gathering up papers eagerly. “Then you can have your best RainWings deliver them. If nothing else, we can start a conversation.”

“Maybe I can write a letter to my sibs too!” Clay beamed. 

Tsunami couldn’t stop her talons already carrying her towards the entryway. “I’ll double the battle-training. Oh, Sunny? Why don’t you help me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah. You’re quick and small, like they are. And you’re smart, you can tell them where to hit, rather than being the brute fighters, like me. And hey, maybe your cheery personality might have a better effect than mine.”

The golden hybrid literally bounced for joy. “Oh wow! Of course! Let’s start right now!”

Glory smirked. “Then let’s get to work.”

* * *

It was the early hours of the morning, still dark out, when Moon finally returned to her cave to sleep. Once again, she’d waited to hear Darkstalker’s voice. She’d waited for him each night, believing he slept during the day - wherever he was. After the catastrophe of seeing that vision of Turtle attacking his sister, she needed to hear her mystery voice’s guidance. 

But nothing. Just like the last three days. 

So, she returned to her cave, to her little nest made of moss and leaves that she’d scavenged from the mountainside. Her body was reluctant to get into her new routine of sleeping half the darkness away. But she had to in order to appear more approachable to the daytime dragons. 

Almost instantly, she fell into dreams. 

At first, it was the usual, as far as dreams went. A mixture of unusual fragments of her day, her thoughts, or the thoughts of dragons she’d heard. Then it became more focused, and she saw memories. 

_ Waiting for her father to return for days. Having been instructed to stay hidden and undetected, she’d waited patiently in her little den. But he didn’t come. Eventually, she grew so worried, so hungry, she was forced to leave her nest and hunt for herself. When she finished her kill, her father appeared and praised her for finally growing to be self-reliant. He’d purposefully stayed away, starving her, testing her to see how long she would obey orders, before finally giving in and hunting for herself.  _

And then it went into a nightmare. 

_ Her father stood over her whilst three other NightWings pinned her down by her wings and tail. Morrowseer’s gaze searched over her, something unreadable in his gaze. He bent to inspect her face. Moon tried to crane her neck away from him, but he used the movement to rip off an earring out of her ear.  _

_ No, it wasn’t a nightmare, Moon realised. It was another vision. _

_ Morrowseer held up the earring in front of Moon’s face; small, bright silver with a diamond centre. His expression turned hard. “Finally,” growled out her father, “you will be of use to your tribe.” _

_ And then she was being dragged away. She struggled, she fought, but then her ankles and wrists were being chained! Hard, tight iron pinched her scales.  _

_ How could this be the future? Please, don’t let this be the future!  _

_ The NightWings were taking her into the deepest depths of the forest, their minds shouting into her that she was a traitor, dirty scum that needed to be taught her place. She was going to stay there forever, the chains binding tighter, and tighter -  _

_ “Talons and teeth, you poor thing.” The vision broke like a mirror splintering into a thousand shards. A huge shape loomed out through the cracks, and Moon got an impression of a shape made of silver and black. Vast talons closed around hers and she was suddenly yanked out of the chains, out of the forest, out of the vision… and into darkness.  _

_ Cold, peaceful darkness. No voices in her head. No impending visions of doom. Nothing at all. It was the first silence Moon had found since coming to Jade Mountain, since being with the Rebellion. She wanted to hide in it forever.  _

_ “I’ve got you,” came a voice - the voice! “Breathe.” _

_ And Moon did. First one deep breath, then another. Gradually, her heart-rate slowed down.  _

_ “You came back,” she croaked into the dark. She was still asleep, she knew that much. Darkstalker had pulled her out of her nightmare and brought her mind somewhere quiet. She sensed he was waiting nearby.  _

_ “I couldn’t exactly ignore you, trapped in… that.” He gave a low growl. “Someone should be punished for letting you get this way.” _

_ “No one knows how to fix me,” she said quietly. “Thank you, for… for what you did… back there…” _

_ “You should be able to do that yourself,” he said. “Take yourself out of your visions. Not be lost in them.” _

_ “That wasn’t a vision.” Moon refused to believe it. It was too frightening to believe she was bound to somehow be imprisoned by her father, forced to help her tribe do evil things.  _

_ “You think so?” he sounded amused. And then he went quiet for a while. “Was that your father?” _

_ “Yes.” There was really no point in hiding it. “I was raised outside the tribe, in the rainforest. My father was the one who tried to train me. He said I had to become the perfect instrument for our tribe, to secure our future.” _

_ “I can understand that. More than you realise.” _

_ “But like you said, I’m pathetic. Until you came along, I had no idea how to control my powers - I still don’t.” _

_ “Oh, Moon, don’t you see?” he said. “You aren’t the defective one, they are! You are the one born with a NightWing’s true gifts. You have power, and they don’t. That makes you better than they could ever hope to be. Once you learn control, once you have confidence, they’ll know how much of a mistake it was to shun someone like you. Everyone will respect you, will be drawn to you. You’ll be able to do anything you want.” _

_ “What if I want to have friends? Dragons that aren’t scared of me? What if all I want is to be rid of the taint of my father’s name?” _

_ She felt a talon reach out and touch hers. “I’ll be your friend. I’m not even remotely scared of you.” It sounded like he was joking, but it was a little hard to tell. “Tell me, would you give up your powers if you could?” _

_ Moon thought about it for a moment. If she’d never been born with powers, had been raised on the island, she would’ve had a normal life, maybe her family could’ve been normal. But on the other talon, she’d seen into all kinds of dragons, into their hearts, and found humbling truths. If she got rid of her power tomorrow, would her head forever be quiet and empty like it was now?  _

_ “No,” she finally admitted. “I don’t want to be like other dragons - I just want them to not mind that I’m different. I want to show them that I can do good things with my powers. And I want to stop being scared: of being discovered, of what my visions mean, of other dragons, of everything.” _

_ “I think I can help you with that.” _

_ “You won’t leave me again?” she asked, that knot from the past three days growing tighter. “You worried me for a while.” _

_ "Sorry," said Darkstalker. "But you kind of took me by surprise - not an easy thing, I’ll have you know.” _

_ There was more to it. “Why didn’t you know the date? It upset you.” _

_ In the dark, there was a long, weary sigh. “I’ve been asleep for far longer than I thought. My life… I think it’s all gone.” _

_ “Darkstalker,” Moon tried to reach out into the dark. Her talons met her stone, deep grooves scratched into the surface. Like someone was trying to dig through the rock with nothing but their bare talons. “What happened to you?” _

_ “Classic fairytale, really. Boy meets girl, they fall in love and they plan their whole futures together. Same boy has a best friend he loved like a brother. But in the end, the brother and lover turned on the boy, trapped him where he couldn’t get out, and made him sleep until they were gone.” _

_ Moon didn’t like the way he spoke, emotionless, devoid of any inflection. “With something like the RainWing darts?” _

_ “A spell.” _

_ “What?” _

_ “I wanted to change the world. I wanted to make it better. I wanted to make a world where little dragonets wouldn’t be abused with the expectation to save their tribe.” his words seemed to hum beside her ear, as if he was right behind her. “But no NightWings shared my vision, I was deemed an enemy of the tribe. My best friend - well, my nemesis, if you want to be dramatic. And my love… they feared me too. They lured me away and tricked me.” _

_ “And you’ve been imprisoned ever since.” _

_ “I woke up six months ago. I don’t know why.” _

_ Memories of that fateful night in the rainforest flashed through Moon’s mind. “A comet. It flew across the sky at the same time - so low it caused earthquakes. That’s what made the volcano erupt.”  _

_ “Must’ve been that.” Darkstalker hummed thoughtfully. “There was a spell on a bracelet. It must’ve snapped off in the quakes.” _

_ “Is there no way to free you?” there was such sadness in his voice, a choked back despair, that Moon felt herself be moved to desperate pity. “I can try to find you. It must be close by for you to hear me-” _

_ A talon closed around hers again. Moon caught a brief flash behind the confident and charming persona Darkstalker wanted her to see. Instead she saw an infinite well of loneliness, of yearning.  _

_ “Don’t worry,” he said. “I don’t exactly know where I am, or how you could help. But I do know for certain that you would need to step outside the shield to get to me. That would put you in unnecessary danger, and I won’t have it. Not on my account. I am not in any pain, so don’t fret.” _

_ “But I can’t just leave you-” _

_ “Talking with you is enough. Now that we have each other, neither of us are alone.” _

_ For some reason, that made Moon smile. “It would seem we’re kindred spirits. I wouldn’t mind being haunted, if it were by a friend.” _

_ “Well, I wouldn’t say this is a haunting, exactly. More like me desperately clinging to my only means of conversation,” he said. Moon laughed. “And I meant it, earlier. I’ll help you with your powers, as much as I can. Just you wait, little Moon - under my tutelage, you shall learn to wield the powers of your mind like a god!” _

_ “Um, maybe just being competent would be a good start?” _

_ “Baby steps, my dear. Baby steps.” _

_ “And I won’t give up,” Moon said. “We’ll find a way to find out where you are. Get you free.” _

_ “Moon, you have no idea of the comfort that can be found in a simple promise.” _

* * *

Darkstalker stayed this time. And he was true to his word. Every evening, when Moon would wander Jade Mountain’s caverns whilst all others were asleep, he taught Moon better control of her powers. It was slow going, and progress was hard won. And though Moon feared harsh reprimands like under her father, none ever came. Darkstalker was patient with her, and would only ever voice his frustrations at her father’s lack of teaching-ability. 

During the day, he was mostly quiet, and Moon suspected that was when he rested. But he would often pop into her head to offer some commentary about what was happening during her day. He was funny, if a little rude in his observations, like calling Qibli once a  _ ‘frenetically intelligent, strangely desperate SandWing’ _ . 

And in the quiet moments, after Moon suffered a nightmare (the regular kind, not born of visions), he would be there to offer comfort as best he could. It was a little sad at times, to realise he was just a voice, not a body that could brush her wing with his or hold her until she calmed like her mother used to. It wasn’t until much later in life that Moon would realise that it was Darkstalker that helped to put her back together again after everything that had happened with her father, losing her mother, and being on the run. 

It was the beginning of a friendship that they both came to depend on.

Over the coming weeks, Moon’s confidence grew as her powers were not so harmful to her psyche anymore. She could stand to be in crowds of others and not feel the headaches. She knew how to avoid looking at dragons certain ways, or thinking in certain ways that might prompt visions at unwanted times. 

And that new confidence helped to (unknowingly) save her. She went to the Dragons of Destiny and proposed that she contribute more to the rebellion. It was unwise to expose her secrets - Moon didn’t need to look into the future to know telling them she had powers was a bad idea. But there were other ways she could help. Like for example, teaching the RainWings to read and write. Starflight was blind and Fatespeaker was like a full-time helper for him. The others were always very busy, and Moon had the time to spare. 

So she taught entire classes of RainWings how to read. From the small dragonets right up to dragons twice her age. And with her mind-reading, she could help them more accurately. Being around them and poking inside their heads more deliberately did exhaust her most days. But Darkstalker assured her that it was like muscle; she just needed to build up the strength. 

And she even got to have friends! Kinkajou loved her lessons, and pulled Moon along to lunch and dinner every day. Turtle was a great assistant, helping her to select the right scrolls for exercises or to set as ‘homework’. Qibli slowly began to hang out with them more and more, his slight-suspicions falling away. And as if with his approval given, every other dragon in the mountain began to be at ease around Moon. 

It was like a dream come true. 

Until the IceWing prince arrived. 


	7. Not Quite A Prince "Charming"

_ 5013 AS, Six Months Later… _

There was no distinction between the sky and the snow covered ground. But it wasn’t the pristine white of the frozen north, the impeccable stainless beauty of the ice sheaths. If it were possible, even the snow of the south looked… dirty. Endless grey stretched from a thousand feet below to the far horizon. The sun was blotted behind thick and heavy clouds that made it almost impossible to tell the time of day. 

An IceWing was always meant to look beyond the Great Ice Cliff when the depths of winter had taken hold of the rest of Pyrrhia, and imagine the entire continent belonging to them. But for the two soldiers winging their way over hills and forests, they weren’t very impressed. Well, at least one of them wasn’t. 

Prince Winter stayed in position on his sister’s flank as they flew, even when his eyes studied the miles of landscape racing by. He’d been beyond the Ice Kingdom before, certainly, but surprisingly not when it snowed. His squadron had not had the opportunity. Funnily enough, his sister had never had that problem. Icicle was always given the best opportunities to lead her soldiers into battle. Their father, General Narwhal, always made sure of it. 

The war had raged longer than Winter had been alive, but it was all he’d ever known. He’d hatched and been raised with the expectation that he would be an exemplary soldier. And because of his status as a royal (and his tenacity to win his spot in the higher circles), he was fast-tracked to his own command a year early. Usually, IceWing dragonets were recognised as adults on their seventh hatching-day, when they secured their spots in the circles that would determine their station for the rest of their lives. However, in wartime, when the tribe needed every soldier they could, they pushed dragonets as young as five into the army. 

Queen Glacier had no sisters, so that meant Icicle was her only niece, and therefore the only one who could challenge her or her daughter, Princess Snowfall, for the throne. Narwhal, the Queen’s brother and one of her top generals, never let Icicle or Winter forget that. Icicle had been raised with the expectation to one day challenge her aunt for the throne before Snowfall did. And to make it possible, Icicle had been given opportunity after opportunity to show-off her prowess in order to remain in the First Rank of the aristocracy. Which was probably why Narwhal had always given her missions outside the Ice Kingdom to lead troops to victory. Whereas Winter had always been given rather simple tasks. Defend this border here, guard that supply-run there. 

But now, things were different. He was on a mission, talon-picked by Queen Glacier herself to represent his tribe. Almost like she had orchestrated it as their eighth birthday gift, Glacier announced Winter and Icicle would be leaving on midwinter’s day. He could still remember the looks on his parents faces when the Queen had chosen him specifically for this mission. 

“I need warriors whom I can trust to act not only in my best interests, but also to act with integrity,” she had said. “Prince Winter has proven himself to be of sound judgement and will make a good impression on this Rebellion.” 

In that moment, Winter felt so proud he thought himself as weightless as a moon-globe. If only Hailstorm were here to see it…

So now he and Icicle were traversing through enemy territory towards Jade Mountain on the southern side of the continent. After months of messages, negotiations and preparations, it was finally time. This was Winter’s moment: to prove that he was worthy of this post.

To prove that he wasn’t a complete failure. 

“Why are there no guards?” he heard Icicle say. 

They were staying high in the cloud cover so that their white scales would be better camouflaged. Unless they got lucky and heavy snowfall reduced visibility, their white scales would be spotted by enemies. From this high up, though, they were able to see the terrain around Jade Mountain clearly. This far south, caught between the Rainforest to the east and the desert to the west, the snow didn’t really settle, so they could see between the stripped trees. Winter had to agree with his sister’s quiet disdain. There were no patrols, no activity of any sort around the mountain. It looked completely uninteresting. In fact, Winter felt his interest in the mountain completely slide away, an inkling telling him there was nothing here he should concern himself with and fly somewhere else. Surely that should be more worrying? Was it a trap? Why did he feel no desire to go to the mountain whatsoever? 

A flash out of the corner of his eye, fire amidst the densely packed trees. “Over there!” he pointed. 

Far below in a large clearing in the forest, boulders forming a natural ring around the circumference, stood five dragons. A quick assessment told Winter they must be the Dragons of Destiny, for they were each of a different tribe. He and his sister quickly surveyed the immediate area for hidden threats, and then came in quickly to land. The ground was hard enough from frost that the mud didn’t dirty their pristine scales. 

“Princess Icicle, Prince Winter,” said a RainWing, her scales giving Winter a headache already from the sheer amount of colours she bore. It was like she wanted every part of her to be different, from red-orange wings to a blue snout to a green underbelly. “I am Queen Glory of the RainWings. We’re honoured Queen Glacier chose to accept our offer.”

“Her Majesty understands the importance of this mutually beneficial arrangement,” said Icicle, her head lifted regally so that she could look down her snout at those before her. “We all get to exterminate a common enemy in the NightWings.”

Winter noticed that two of the Dragons of the prophecy, the blind NightWing and the stunted, strange-looking SandWing, winced. 

“So long as you uphold your end of the bargain,” Icicle continued. “Queen Glacier would be most displeased if you lost your sense just after gaining it.”

“No need to worry,” said the SeaWing. Winter had to look her up and down in admiration, for even when at ease, she struck a fearsome image. She was muscular and she already had her fair share of scars from battle. If the stories were true, then this one was set to become the most renowned warrior of her generation. “If Glacier helps us defeat Blister and the NightWings, we’ll support Blaze as Queen.”

Again, Winter noticed some discourse amongst the group. This time it was just the little SandWing who showed any unhappiness in this choice. Winter had never met Princess Blaze, so he could only follow his Queen’s orders and recognise her as the only legitimate SandWing candidate. 

Icicle nodded. “Very well. My brother and I stand to represent our Queen in this rebellion.” 

“Of course,” said Queen Glory. “You must be tired from your journey. Come in and we’ll see you to your quarters-”

“And then we’ll get you some food,” said the Mudwing enthusiastically. He looked them over, trying desperately to hide the disappointment in his expression. “You didn’t bring anything with you, right? I would’ve thought you’d bring something to eat on the journey. Like… a polar bear? I’ve never tried a polar bear.”

Winter and Icicle shared matching looks of scorn. A black wing suddenly pushed into the MudWing’s face, blocking him from view. “Ignore him, please.”

Though Winter wasn’t exactly at ease with a NightWing in his presence, he didn’t believe his sister’s reaction was entirely tactful. “Are you sure it’s safe to have one of  _ them  _ around?” she flicked a talon in the blind NightWing’s direction. 

The SeaWing looked at them sharply. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Doesn’t everyone have a problem with them? The NightWings are purposefully manipulating this war in their favour, and our tribes have been enemies for two millenia. They should all be destroyed.”

“Starflight’s one of us!” the SandWing burst with a ferocity that belied her smallness. “And we have two other NightWings here. We’re not fighting for genocide, we’re fighting to stop the war!”

“Well, then you’re making a mist-” Winter stopped his sister’s tirade with a sharp whack of his tail against hers. 

“So long as you’re up front with them being here, and they stay out of our way, we have no quarrel.” he said, and ignored the death-glare Icicle sent his way. Internally, he winced, could imagine his place in the rankings slipping. 

Their hosts led the way towards the mountain. Icicle hung back and Winter stayed with her, already expecting the hushed scolding. “You forget your place,  _ brother _ ! I am higher in the rankings and your superior. You do not speak over me!”

“I know, sister,” said Winter. “But until the Dragons of Destiny publicly declare themselves in favour of Blaze, we mustn’t antagonise them. The Queen wouldn’t be pleased if they went back on their word because of our lack of discipline.”

Icicle growled and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you and your bleeding heart…”

But at least she left it at that. They followed along behind the others, and Winter was surprised to see that the MudWing, NightWing and SandWing were already out of sight. How could that be? The trees weren’t packed closely together, but it seemed that as soon as they entered it, they were out of sight and out of notice. Indeed, as Winter got closer to the treeline, that strange feeling began to creep over his scales. A sense that there was nothing here, a whisper that there were other more important things to pay attention to. 

The SeaWing and RainWing stopped, just beyond the threshold of the circle of boulders. Winter wondered why they waited, and instantly became suspicious. What if this was an ambush after all - 

His head smacked into something hard and unbending. Icicle must’ve hit it too, for she was repelled back the same as he. They looked bewildered at each other. But the other two were just waiting for them, as if nothing were amiss. Cautiously, Winter reached out with a talon, towards them. His claws seemed to pass over some kind of invisible obstruction. The moment he touched it, his mind was filled with the need to go around this obstacle, it were as if his eyes found all beyond it boring and uninteresting. Instead, wasn’t that to the right more fascinating? Why not go look over there?

It was only because he thought hard enough about his mission and his situation that he shook off the compulsion. The spikes along his spine felt like they would all turn the wrong way with revulsion. 

“What is this?!” he demanded. 

“Our safety,” said Queen Glory in a dark voice. “You cannot pass through unless invited in, you’re even encouraged to find this place boring and unworthy of attention.”

“You have magic?!” Icicle hissed. Winter was inclined to agree. IceWings had a very precarious relationship with the concept of magic. 

The SeaWing flicked her wings dismissively. “Came with the place. Noone can come in unless we say so, and if we say so, you’ll be expelled just as easily.”

“Why tell us this?” Winter demanded. “We’ll tell the Queen.”

“Tell her anything you want,” said Queen Glory. Slowly, a subtle warning red began to grow across her scales, striped with black. “Tell the whole of Pyhrria. All the tribes’ armies could lay siege to this mountain and all of them would be repelled. We have nothing to fear.”

“Everyone inside this mountain is ours, and under our protection,” growled the SeaWing, the markings along her scales beginning to glow brightly. “Threaten any of them again, and you’ll pay for it. Do we make ourselves clear?”

Winter nodded. Icicle was a little slower, but she still dipped her head stiffly. By the faint glimmer in her eyes, he could see she was slightly impressed with all this. 

“Good,” said Queen Glory, her scales returning to their former shades. “Now, Princess Icicle, Prince Winter, I invite you into Jade Mountain.”

* * *

Oh, what an absolutely horrendous day! If it weren’t that less than perfect introduction setting a bad mood, then it was everything else that happened afterwards.

Winter had been surprised to see that a few examples of other tribes were already inside the rebellion, mostly those who had deserted the Talons of Peace because they were apparently falling apart. There were even a couple of SkyWings acting in the same capacity as Winter and Icicle; envoys for their Queen. But other than that, the rebellion was mostly made of RainWings. Whilst Winter could admit to himself (because of course he would never say it aloud) that they weren’t as lazy as he’d believed… they weren’t exactly inspiring. 

During the tour, he’d spied the RainWings in battle training and had to cringe. If any IceWing recruit behaved as they did, they’d be at the bottom of the rankings faster than they could blink. Something about his dismay must’ve shown on his face because Glory got a little defensive, but was mercifully called away to deal with incoming scouts. 

The ‘prey centre’ was an absolute mess. The MudWing, Clay, had tried to catch prey for them and kept them corralled so they could be killed fresh. But the animals ran riot in their panic and the multiple RainWings complained loudly because it disturbed their fruit-eating. Not to mention that as aristocrats, Winter and Icicle found it abhorrent to think that someone would just hand them their prey. That was for commoners who had the Gift of Subsistence, for no one who cared about their ranking would accept food which came so easily. 

And then had come the awful SandWing. 

Icicle had chosen to retire to her chambers early, Winter had no doubt she was already writing her first report, to tell their father of Winter’s behaviour. So Sunny had called a SandWing to finish off the tour with Winter - even when the prince swore that it wasn’t necessary. And the SanWing that appeared only had to look Winter up and down and smile for Winter to instantly regret this turn of events. And he was right. Qibli - as he introduced himself - opened his mouth and  _ would not close it again!  _ Words just spilled out in an endless flow, and he stuck to Winter like a third wing. Several times Winter tried to tell him to leave him alone, sometimes plotielty, most of the time rather bluntly. But Qibli just smirked and shrugged it off as if Winter was joking! How infuriating!

In the end, he tried to flag down a passing RainWing and said: “Remove this SandWing from my presence. As the nephew of Queen Glacier, I demand a more sophisticated guide!”

The RainWing looked rather confused - possibly because he didn’t understand half the big words Winter used. And then Qibli had to smile and open his big mouth again. “Ignore him. He’s just getting used to the fact that we’re destined for each other.”

“Leave me alone,” Winter growled. “Or I swear I will slice your face off!” 

The SandWing had the audacity to look completely unafraid. “Can’t do that, sorry. Sunny said we’re clawmates now, so we’re best friends forever!” 

“That… will  _ never…  _ happen!”

He’d finally managed to gain a reprieve at evening when everyone gathered in the prey centre for dinner. Qibli had thought to introduce Winter to his friends, Kinkajou and Turtle. Winter at first thought he’d find a kindred spirit in the SeaWing when he discovered he was also a prince, one of Queen Coral’s many sons. Instead, Turtle was quiet and always deferred to the others, especially the chatterbox RainWing. He would be eaten alive in the Ice Kingdom. At least he was inoffensive. And thank the Great Dragon for small mercies, as Qibli’s friends helped to distract him away from Winter. 

Icicle had even chosen to make an appearance, wearing some of her finest jewels which she’d brought from home. His perfect sister was of the opinion that the dragons who always looked their best were by far the most dangerous, and grubby dragons deserved to stay in seventh circle. Her most valued pieces were a pair of cuffs made of the finest silver and inlaid with glittering black gemstones. She’d had them made especially, in celebration of her greatest victory, when she’d killed one of Burn’s former generals. That had been just a few days before Burn had been killed. 

Winter had carried in his own prey and went to join his sister to eat. That was when he saw  _ her _ .

A flutter of black amidst a sea of purples and yellows and greens. A tall and slender frame that would make her on par with his own height. Flashes of silver scales by her eyes, like teardrops. She was a NightWing, and Winter found himself torn on how to respond to her presence. Everything he’d been taught his entire life told him to hate her instantly. All the woes that had befallen his tribe was the fault of hers. And yet, she smiled so gently at the RainWings, didn’t hold that expression of superiority. She looked… kind. 

“Hey, Moon! Over here!” shouted Winter’s idiot clawmate, waving his wing to catch her attention. The NightWing made her way over, and before Winter could slip away, the SandWing was  _ introducing him!  _ “We got a new one! This is Winter, he might be in your next class.”

“What?” the NightWing, Moon, blanched.

“Class?” Winter asked at the same time. 

“Moon teaches the RainWings,” provided Turtle gently. “How to read and write, and recently about the different tribes.”

Winter threw a glare at the SandWing. “I need no education on learning the basics of dragon society! I am-”

“The nephew of Queen Glacier,” Qibli finished for him with a wink at Moon. “Thought I should mention it, quick. Before he made a paragraph out of it.”

“I only mentioned it,” Winter said through gritted teeth, “because there has obviously been a mistake and that you shouldn’t have to stay around me. As Queen Glacier’s envoy, I don’t need an annoying SandWing constantly up my snout!”

“Well good for you, I’m here,” Qibli grinned. “I’ll be sure to keep your snout free of the annoying variety of SandWing. Just because I’m awesome like that.”

Prince Turtle sniggered. 

“Moony,” said the neon pink and yellow RainWing with the most ridiculous name of Kinkajou. “Say hello to Winter! Isn’t he the most sparkliest dragon you’ve ever seen!”

_ Am I?  _ Winter thought, trying to fight the urge to check his ice-blue and white scales. And then he stopped himself.  _ Does she really listen to this silly RainWing?  _

“Yes,” said the NightWing. 

Everyone looked at her. “You think he’s sparkly?” Qibli asked, failing to hide his own glance at his scales.

She blinked and shook her head. “What? No!”

“So, you  _ don’t  _ think I’m sparkly?” Winter asked, unsure whether he should be offended or not. 

“I didn’t mean to say that you’re not… but, um, I mean-” 

High pitched giggling broke through the group before another comment could be made. Everyone looked over to see Kinkajou trying to smother her snout with her wing, her scales rippling orange and pink. And then Turtle snorted, biting his tongue to try and stop himself laughing too. 

No self respecting dragon would allow themselves to be laughed at. And NightWings were supposed to be vindictive creatures, or so Winter's father always said. Yet Moon merely bumped her wing against Kinkajou's and smirked. "You little mastermind. You did that on purpose."

Kinkajou nearly doubled over with laughter. "You… you should see your face!" 

And then Qibli was chuckling as well. "Can't be any worse than mine was."

Even Winter had to smirk at that. The SandWing had looked rather comically crestfallen. And then to his surprise, Moon giggled too. 

Oh wow. She looked nothing like what Winter expected when she smiled like that. From all the things he’d been taught, all the horror stories, he’d expected NightWings to look cruel and homicidal, grinning with all their teeth and laughing like maniacs. But Moon looked… she looked like the warmth of the sun was captured in her smile. 

A stiff cough at his tail, and Winter went still as stone. Instantly he shut his mind down, erased the hint of a smile that had been growing at the corners of his mouth. He adopted the guard position, his wings stiff, his neck held in perfect posture. Stepping aside, he allowed Icicle to make her way towards the little group. 

His sister eyes him skeptically. “Making  _ friends _ , Winter?”

There was enough emphasis on the word  _ ‘friends’  _ that Winter knew he was in serious danger if he put another claw out of line here. “Sunny declared this SandWing to be my guide for today.”

And thank the moons for small mercies, for Qibli kept his mouth shut. Instead he was looking Icicle up and down, his big brown eyes narrowed in study. Icicle didn’t even give him a passing glance. Winter already knew she viewed him as beneath her, not just because he was of another tribe, but because he had openly introduced himself as a former resident of the Scorpion Den. He was worse than a commoner, he was a street rat. 

Icicle took a step past Winter into the circle of friends, her eyes fixed on Moon. The NightWing was gawking at Icicle as if she’d never seen anything like her before. “So you’re one of the NightWings we were warned about. I already met the imbecilic other one and the blind one. If you three are prime examples of the NightWing tribe it’ll be a wonder if this war lasts a year.”

“Hey,” Qibli interjected hotly. “There’s no need to get nasty!”

“Yeah,” Kinkajou said, bouncing next to Moon, ruff flaring. “Quit being such a prickle-weed and leave us alone.”

Winter’s sister didn’t acknowledge Kinkajou’s existence. She instead turned her head to fix her gaze on Winter. He immediately dropped his head in submission. Of course she would think the worst of him. Of course she would believe him weak. He was meant to uphold his family and tribe pride, to be strong, and here he was - 

“It’s not his fault.” 

His eyes snapped up to Moon simultaneously with Icicle. Though she still looked petrified, the NightWing had the courage to stand a little taller and meet the princess’ stare. “We were only trying to make friends. That’s what we’re here for, to work together to stop the evil outside. Winter didn’t do anything wrong. He’s not weak.”

If his jaw spontaneously unhinged itself and hit the floor, Winter wouldn’t have been more surprised. Moon too seemed to rethink her words, shrinking away from Icicle’s low growls. 

“Excuse me,” she muttered and pushed past her friends to quickly leave the prey centre. Winter watched her go, unable to deny the sense of admiration he felt in knowing she’d stood up to his sister, something few others had ever done. But he couldn’t help a creeping suspicion.

_ The Dragons of Destiny said the NightWings couldn’t read minds after all, _ he thought.  _ So why does it seem like she read mine?  _

* * *

**_And here I thought you wanted to lay low,_ ** Darkstalker said in a rather irritable tone. 

“I couldn’t just let him think so lowly of himself,” Moon said as she soared lazily through the updrafts circling Jade Mountain’s peak. 

**_You risked exposure._ **

Moon was surprised at her defensiveness. “You’re the one that’s been telling me it doesn’t matter if they know or not. That they will be drawn to my power, regardless.”

**_Revealing yourself in this way could prove a little more dangerous than I’d previously foreseen._ ** He said it as though each word pulled out a tooth.  **_And shouldn’t we be focusing on the more important issue?_ **

Indeed. Moon had almost done something stupid when Icicle had come along and Moon had realised she couldn’t hear her thoughts. There was nothing. No blockage, no wall of numbers, no clever trick to hide her real thoughts. Instead, the only thing that emitted from Icicle was a low, quiet hum, and nothingness. “Some dragons I’ve met can shield their thoughts sometimes, but nothing like that. Can you not even see into her mind?”

**_No. This is entirely new to me. Which is disconcerting._ **

“And why couldn’t I put Winter’s thoughts into the raindrops?”

Was it her imagination or did Darkstalker give a quiet growl?  **_Because the little idiot wouldn’t stop thinking about you. It’s much harder when the thoughts are directly about you._ **

Moon was so surprised, her wings missed a beat. “Winter couldn’t stop thinking about me?”

**_Moon, be careful,_ ** he warned. **_IceWings despise us, always have done. That prince was looking for reasons to hate you. You should stay away from him._ **

“As you have said for the three dozenth time,” Moon muttered. “Well I have to work alongside these ones and I don’t intend to make enemies.”

**_You might find you don’t have a choice. IceWings are all the same, too rigid in their obsessions with rank and pride to care about anyone or anything but themselves._ **

“Now that’s not fair.” Moon pulled up and hovered, as if she intended to turn and find Darkstalker physically beside her so that she could berate him. She’d been doing that a lot, lately. Getting so caught up in their mental conversations that she slipped into thinking they were real. “They live a different way than we do, is that so bad? All the tribes live differently. The MudWing way of abandoning their own young to raise themselves seems alien to me, but it works for them. That’s all superficial. You’ve been inside the heads of other dragons, the same as me. Can’t you tell how alike we all are?”

He didn’t answer. Whether out of stubbornness or thinking over her words, she did not know. 

_ Wait,  _ Moon thought, twisting in the air.  _ Did you hear that? _

Distant thoughts called to her, and not those of a dreaming mind. It was intriguing, as she was usually the only one up at this hour. With a soft beat of her wings, she soared to the south-eastern side of the mountain. Whilst her night-vision was naturally good and the moonlight helped, it wasn’t nearly as good as a SeaWing’s. 

But then she saw him. His pristine white scales almost glowed under the moon, as bright as candlelight amidst the dark rocks. Once again she was transported inside Winter’s mind. Bright and dazzling like the sun reflecting off so many layers of ice. He hadn’t noticed her yet, crouched on the top of an overhang and peering down the mountainside. When surrounded by dragons, Winter’s thoughts always went in the same circle, that he needed to do his best, appear his best, act his best. But now that he was on his own, Moon could see inside him so clearly: an abundant curiosity and patience and eagerness. What was he looking at?

Evidently, Moon must’ve come too close, her wingbeat perhaps a little too loud where she hovered. Winter’s gaze snapped up at her. She caught bright thoughts of wonder and questions, before he slammed a wall of ice on them. 

“What are you doing here?” he demanded, though not very loudly. 

**_Tell him you couldn’t sleep_ ** , Darkstalker supplied.  **_He cannot himself, he’ll easily believe it._ **

“I… I like to fly under the moon.” Moon found herself saying. 

**_Orrrrrrrr do that. He won’t be suspicious at all…_ **

Winter’s knotted brows seemed to confirm this, so Moon hurriedly went on. “I mean, I’ve always been more alive at night. I suppose that’s why my mother named me Moonwatcher.”

“Moonwatcher,” Winter muttered deflating a little. There was something shivery about him saying her name. 

She landed some ways to the side of him, mindful of giving him personal space. She cocked her head at him. “What’re you doing out here?”

“Nothing.” he said a little too quickly. He kept his eyes focused on her, but his mind was filled with images of little hairless bipedal monkeys.  _ Don’t look! Don’t let her notice. She’ll go away soon, her and her distracting eyes. I just wanted to watch them - there’s so few in the Ice Kingdom. _

Moon tried to follow his thoughts as subtly as she could and peered over the edge of the overhang. Some ways down the slope was a small group of the hairless monkeys she’d seen in Winter’s mind. There were five of them, three adults and two youngsters of differing sizes. Though without hair, they somehow had garments around their bodies and miniature tools in their hands or across their backs. 

But what fascinated Moon was that she could hear their minds! Not in words, merely as impressions of emotions that flared bright on her brain. It was extraordinary, for usually animals didn’t have emotions past the basics, such as fear, hunger or lust. Yet Moon could clearly sense amusement in them, love even. This was a family. 

“Are… are those scavengers?” Moon whispered, hunkering down beside Winter without realising she was doing so. “I’ve never seen one before, but I’ve read about them.”

“You’re not going to eat them, are you?”

She turned her head to look at him, appalled he would even think that. But he was staring at her intently, and Moon realised that he was very serious. “Of course not. No one can eat them, not ever.”

“Good, that’s exactly how I feel about it,” he said, and a tension Moon hadn’t even known was there relaxed in his shoulders. “We don’t get very many of them in the Ice Kingdom. Last time I saw one, I was two.”

Moon saw flashes of that day in his head. He’d been hunting for a polar bear, but was distracted by the little scavenger. He’d lost the hunt and lost the chance to win his parents’ favour. Yet he didn’t regret a thing. 

“It’s strange to think one of those killed Queen Oasis,” Moon said. “They’re so small, so helpless, and Oasis was a formidable warrior.”

“Scavengers are much smarter than we give them credit for,” Winter nodded. “Just look at the crude tools they’ve made for themselves! What animal does that?”

“Oh, I agree with you.”

He looked over at her in sharp surprise. Moon was a little taken aback by how bright blue his eyes were. “You do?”

“Yes. You can see they’re much more complex than ordinary prey.”

“If we weren’t fighting a war, I’d love to study them.” Winter laid himself further onto the overhang, and Moon felt a little proud to see that she’d managed to get the corner of his lips to twitch into a smile. But then it all vanished and he looked most despondent. “Although, such a profession would be most unbecoming of a prince. And there’s not much need for the study of scavengers.”

The lines were rehearsed, what he thought he should say. An IceWing appeared in his mind: older, greyer, chipped around the edges. There were no feelings of fondness associated with this male, but he was in a lot of memories. Winter’s father? Again, Moon listened to Winter cutting himself down with the voices of his family, telling him he wasn’t good enough, no matter how hard he tried. 

She knew what that felt like. She couldn’t stand to see him go through it. “You could study them while you’re here.”

Winter snorted. “I am here to be my Queen’s eyes and ears, to act in her interest. That takes precedence.” 

“If you need help, I can-”

“I don’t need help!” he snapped. His voice was a little too loud. The scavengers heard him and finally turned to look up at the dragons several hundred yards away. They gave out loud shrieks and vanished into the forest. Winter swallowed back his disappointment and shook his head. “I have a mission to prioritise. I can’t indulge in silly dragonet games.”

“You’re better than you think you are, Winter.” Moon said, standing. The IceWing stared up at her, surprised by her words. “And your ideas aren’t as worthless as you tell yourself.”

Opening her wings, Moon leapt into the diamond-star sky and soared back towards Jade Mountain. She forced herself not to look back, even when she could hear Winter’s thoughts spinning about her. The comfort of her bed sounded good right about now. 

**_That one will be troublesome for us,_ ** murmured Darkstalker.

Moon sighed. “When is anything ever  _ not  _ troublesome?”

* * *

A month passed by in the dreary, poor excuse of a rebellion. Icicle received and sent weekly reports for her Queen, and separate letters for her father. She’d been trying to hint that she should be reassigned back to the front lines. A fourth circle IceWing could do this. But she was disappointed. Her orders were clear: stay with the rebellion, help them coordinate attacks, send back reports, and keep an eye on her bad brother. 

To this day, Icicle didn’t know what the Queen saw in him. Winter was her brother, and she was loyal to him, but that didn’t erase his past mistakes. It didn’t make him any less weak. 

His latest scandal came when he openly went against Icicle in a meeting with the Dragons of Destiny. They were consolidating their information, figuring out their next move. The genius of the magic that controlled who came in and out of Jade Mountain meant that the rebellion was safe. Morrowseer and Blister had yet to find them, let alone lay siege to this place. In fact, the idiots seemed completely unaware of anyone in the mountain. Icicle wasn’t sure if that was a side effect of the spell or not. 

They had all expected that once she had obtained the throne, Blister would go on a rampage of destruction across all of Pyrrhia that she could reach. Well, maybe “rampage” was too strong a word, but the way the Dragons of Destiny worried over it, one would think the situation was that dire. It was true that without the threat of Burn to keep her in check, Blister had no restraint on her conniving mind to take over all the territory that she could. And whilst skirmishes between Blister’s SandWings and the IceWings still took place frequently, it seemed both she and the NightWings had slipped back into the shadows for the time being. 

The Dragons of Destiny wanted to take advantage of the quiet, to secure alliances and set ambushes for when Blister or Morrowseer next made their appearance. Icicle had advised that they use the element of surprise and attack. She even offered to call in the help of the IceWing army. But the others were too cowardly, too worried about losses or collateral damage. The little annoying SandWing was the one that aggravated Icicle most - she wanted to claw her face off to stop her constantly gibbering about how all dragons’ lives were important. 

For some time, since she’d decided to study the magical shield that kept this mountain from discovery, Icicle had been making inquiries about its nature. She suspected that these dragons had more magic up their sleeve. At the meeting, she decided to confirm her suspicions, and told them to use whatever magic they had at their disposal, and cut the head off the snake. Kill Morrowseer and Blister with magic. 

Of course there had been several shouts of outrage. Glory and Tsunami denying they had that kind of magic (which Icicle doubted), but Sunny, Clay and Starflight had done the most aggravating thing possible and complained how that would be cheating. 

But no one had surprised her more than her brother. Winter was meant to defer to her and merely show a wall of solidarity. Yet now, he decided to speak up, dissented against her. He moaned like a RainWing that underhanded tactics were not the way to win their battles.

“Oh really,” Icicle had replied hotly. “Then can anyone tell me how it is more noble to send a hundred warriors to die on the battlefield, than to spend a little magic to just kill two dragons?”

Her brother had looked away, but had still said, “It isn’t better. But there are codes to these engagements. If we use magic on them, what is to stop their supporters or their generals or disciples from using magic on us?”

And then had come the uncomfortable discussion on whether Blister or the NightWings did have any access to magic. The SandWing treasure had once been full of animus-touched objects, after all. 

Suffice it to say, Icicle was getting concerned for her brother’s state of mind. Too much time outside the tribe was proving to be a hazard for his mental state. 

In the dark of his cave, which was just beside her own, she waited for him to return from supper in the prey centre. He stayed there later than she did, usually spending the time hunting with that insidious group of misfits that were jokingly being called ‘the Jade Winglet’ in honour of the mountain itself. As Winter came into his cave, he initially didn’t spot her. Icicle wrinkled her snout, such lack of awareness would be a grave error that could get him demoted. 

Something resembling IceWing honour must’ve kicked into his brain, because he abruptly drew still, his ears pricked. Icicle confirmed his suspicions. “Hello, brother.”

“Icicle,” he dipped his head without turning to her. 

“The Queen is satisfied with your plan,” said Icicle, stepping up beside him. She flicked her talons across his desk full of his own reports. “Getting into the good graces of the dragons here, gaining their trust, learning their secrets…”

“She is?” Winter echoed faintly. 

“That was your intention, wasn’t it? I couldn’t think of any other reason you would choose to spend your time with outsiders, it’s not as if you prefer their company.” she shot him a pointed stare. “I know you especially wouldn’t stick around that NightWing voluntarily. You do remember why we hate them, don’t you? Why you especially have every reason to want them all dead?”

Winter lowered his head further, and said in a quiet voice, “Yes.”

Icicle nodded and straightened “Good. I’d hate for you to have to disappoint me, dear brother. Again.” 

* * *

Peril couldn’t actually feel cold, but she could  _ see  _ it, if that made sense. 

Though her scales made her warm no matter the weather, she could see the piles of snow she turned into soggy messes of mud and sludge. It was utterly miserable. Despite how beautiful the peaks of the mountains could be, Peril had to admit that she preferred the desert. It never snowed there, the weather never made her feel like even the land itself didn’t like her. And there wasn't much vegetation there for her to accidentally ignite - BONUS!

But this was where her latest useless hunt had led her. Out into the middle of the wilderness at the edges of SkyWing territory. But just like it had every other time over the past year, her search had proved in vain. Scarlet wasn’t here. Peril could find no trace of the former SkyWing Queen. It was as if she had vanished into smoke when she’d fled her own palace. 

A crunch in the snow. Peril’s brows furrowed. She’d been listening for the clumsy-claws that’d been following her for the past day. They weren’t very good, whoever they were. At first, Peril had thought they were more nay-sayers come to yell and throw crocodiles at her to leave their homes and families alone. Apparently, she’d garnered quite the reputation from her life in the arena. 

“I know you’re there!” Peril shouted, her voice echoing over the snow-covered fields. It was safer to sleep out in the open, less chance of her rolling over and accidentally starting a forest fire. Even if it was really uncomfortable. “I’ve had enough sneaking for one day! Come on out or I start sweeping this whole valley in fire!”

For emphasis, she flared her bright gold-veined wings. There was a slight gasp somewhere in the empty air to Peril’s left. She acted, and spewed forth a torrent of flames from her mouth. There was a loud yelp as someone hurriedly dove out of the way. 

“Alright! Alright!” shouted a loud, reedy voice. A shimmer appeared in the sky, hovering above Peril, and then a dragon appeared. Oh. It was a little RainWing. Glory had only ever seen one before in her life, Clay’s friend.

She tried not to think about Clay too much, it both made her heart jump for joy and hurt it at the same time. 

“What do you want?” she demanded irritably. 

“I was told to come and get you!” the RainWing said, refusing to leave the relative safety of the air. “Queen Glory said she wanted you for the rebellion - at Jade Mountain.”

“I don’t know any  _ Queen  _ Glory,” Peril snorted, steam billowing about her horns. She remembered  _ a  _ Glory, Clay’s friend, but for all she knew that could be a common RainWing name.

“She said you’d do it for Clay?”

_ That  _ got Peril’s attention. “Clay? Has he asked about me? Is he okay? Does he need me? Not that, you know, I’m expecting anything  _ wrong  _ or whatever, but…”

“Look, all I know is that I was told to tell you that Clay and the Dragons of Destiny want you to join them in Jade Mountain.” if it were possible, the RainWing looked annoyed to be delivering such a message.

“Really?” Peril said. “But, I’ve not caught Queen Scarlet yet… I promised Clay I would…”

The only thing that would’ve made her leave his side was the promise to keep him safe. After everything that had happened in the Sky-Palace, the Dragonets of Destiny had embarked on their own adventure to find their families, to stop the war. Peril had done some bad things, confused by her own loneliness and selfishness. She could see that now. So to make up for it, she’d promised to hunt down Queen Scarlet, to make sure Clay and his friends were safe. But all for nothing. The one time Peril had thought she’d gotten close, she’d thought Scarlet was with Burn at her stronghold. But then Burn had died and Peril hadn’t been able to get close in time. Scarlet slunk away in the mayhem, and Peril hadn’t been able to find her since. 

What if her failure meant Clay didn’t want to see her? 

“It’s not safe yet-”

It was the RainWing’s turn to snort. “What’re you on about? Jade Mountain’s the safest place in the world. No one’s getting us there.”

Really? Was Clay safe? If he didn’t need her hunting his foes, if he was safe and still wanted her to come to him, did that mean he liked her enough to want her -  _ just her? _

“Hey, smoke-breather!” called the RainWing. “It’s not a hard question. Are you in or out?”

Who was she to refuse?


	8. Story By Firelight

Moon was awoken rather rudely to the sound of screaming. She’d barely opened her eyes when her mind was swarmed by a thousand voices shouting on top of her. On instinct, she crawled up to her feet. Her talons felt along the wall to guide her past the blinding pain. Someone had raised the alarm, and panic had sparked throughout almost everyone. Flashes of previous battles, imaginings of the doom about to swallow them up. Moon could hardly think straight through all the violence reeling around in her head.

_ Raindrops _ , she tried to think.

**_That wont work here,_** Darkstalker said, there without her needing to call. **_Everyone is too panicked._** **_Find the calmest voice and anchor yourself. Focus on it. It’ll help if it’s someone who knows what’s going on._**

She almost didn’t want to, diving into that great cacophony seemed like the worst idea. But, she obeyed. She searched through the frantic minds trying to stampede over hers. At length, she found someone - Tsunami. The SeaWing wasn’t happy, but at least her thoughts were steady. Moon latched onto those thoughts, pulled herself in close, and let all the other noise wash over away. 

Now able to see clearly, Moon made her way down through the mountain to see what on earth could cause such a fuss. Had the barrier fallen? That wasn’t possible - it could only come down if Stonemover removed it and he needed her permission before he could cast such a spell. 

Moon came to the entrance cavern, a massive space, able to fit three dozen dragons wingtip to wingtip. Many halls linked back up to this one, and the largest cave mouth into the mountain was directly here. A gathering had formed, most RainWings fleeing at the behest of other dragons. The Dragons of Destiny were here, with various different expressions on their faces. Starflight (and Fatespeaker) were bewildered, Glory and Tsunami unhappy, Sunny unsure, and Clay with a big goofy grin.

A SkyWing stood beside him on the threshold into the mountain. Around 9 years old, she dwarfed everyone around her. MudWings might have the advantage over other tribes in terms of weight, but SkyWings had the advantage of both height and wingspan. This SkyWing seemed to look bigger than any Moon had seen before, even when she obviously tried her hardest to keep her bright, gold-veined wings tucked in close. Her eyes were a bright flame blue, and it seemed like steam was constantly pouring out of her wings and talons. Like she was several degrees hotter than anything around her. 

When Moon tried to peer into her mind, she was met with a wall of flames that felt like they burned her out. Hastily deciding not to go there, Moon tried to garner who this person was from the minds of everyone else. The words:  _ Peril, Scarlet’s weapon, dangerous,  _ repeated over and over. 

“What is the meaning of this?!” 

Once again Moon was taken aback. She hadn’t heard Icicle’s thoughts coming, so she was taken by surprise the same as everyone else when the IceWing appeared in a tunnel entrance across from her. Behind her stood Winter, but neither had noticed Moon; they only had eyes for the SkyWing. Their spiked tails rattled angrily, and looked to be one word away from attacking. 

“What is that  _ thing  _ doing here?” Icicle threw accusatory glares at the dragons assembled. “Do you just invite anyone willy-nilly into this base? Do you not know who she is?!” 

“Yes, Icicle,” Sunny retorted. “We know. We invited her here.”

“You can’t!” Winter exclaimed, his mind a maze of mirrors of self loathing and anxiety. “This cannot be allowed.”

The SkyWing became very still, and the flames burned a little hotter inside her mind. “I was invited by Clay. Not you. You’re not the boss of me.”

“What is your problem with Peril?” asked Glory.

“She is a murderer. Scarlet’s monster,” Icicle said. “She’s responsible for the death of maybe hundreds of dragons - including several IceWings.”

Winter ducked his head, and Moon couldn’t help herself from zeroing in on his thoughts. Memories were replaying in his head, of another IceWing, slightly older, always happy and smiling and filled with love. A brother? Moon watched as the brother was surrounded by SkyWings and taken away, with Winter helpless to do anything but flee. His brother was taken as Scarlet’s prisoner, and whilst Winter deep-down didn’t hold Peril responsible, she reminded him of the arena and what was supposedly done to Scarlet’s prisoners. There was something else, just on the edge of Winter’s thoughts. But then, as if he could sense her gaze, his eyes flicked up and met hers. 

Moon quickly diverted her attention away.

Tsunami, the thoughts that had anchored Moon to begin with, still wasn’t pleased. She was suspicious and protective, angry and uncertain. She looked at Peril and didn’t think ‘ _ friend’ _ instantly like Clay did. Instead, she was more inclined to agree with Icicle.  _ She already betrayed us once. Who’s to say she won’t again? Am I supposed to believe she loves Clay that much?  _

“Hey,” Clay interjected, thick brows furrowed at the two IceWings. “Peril only did those things because her queen told her to - isn’t that what any of the rest of you would do?”

Icicle snorted. “Queen Glacier would never ask her subjects to perform such barbaric blood sport for her amusement.”

“Well, Peril didn’t have a Glacier. She got a Scarlet. But what’s important now is that she’s here, and she’s going to help us.” Clay looked up at Peril, and she looked back at him. And through the inferno of flames in her mind, Moon caught a brief flash of intense emotion from Peril. It wasn’t thoughts, for as soon as the emotions came through, the flames returned to their former ferocity and swallowed Peril’s mind away. But in that brief moment, Moon had caught an intense feeling of longing, of want, of love. 

Icicle growled. “When the Queen hears of this…”

“Look at it this way, Princess Icicle,” Starflight managed to force out from behind his trembling nerves. “If Peril’s on our side, she’s not fighting against us. Isn’t that not a good thing?”

Such little faith that they could only see the value in her by making her not their enemy. Peril's wings dropped and she looked as if she wanted to run to the farthest corner of the earth. Clay brushed his tail against hers. A sizzle sounded when their scales touched.

**_She has firescales,_ ** Darkstalker explained.  **_One half of twins: she was born with too much fire, the other without._ **

_ You've seen this before?  _ She asked.

**_Not personally. They're very rare, most don't survive. SkyWings have a rather cold attitude towards anything that isn't considered the norm._ ** He hummed in thought.  **_There was a time when they used to believe firescales were a gift - blessed by the Sun. Said to bring about great change. You can of course imagine that a ruling queen wouldn't like the idea of some random dragonet coming in and shaking things up. That's probably why they changed all the rules to accommodate "hatchling-killing"._ **

_ Do you think that's what Peril is here to do?  _ Moon wondered, studying the copper SkyWing intently.  _ Is she here to bring good change or bad change?  _

**_I'm not sure. Would be a lot easier to discern that if I could see past that forest fire inside her skull._ **

“Like it or not,” Tsunami said loud enough to get Moon's attention. “Peril’s one of us now. So let’s just do our jobs and try not to step on each other’s tails… in her case, quite literally.”

* * *

Turtle plodded back up the tunnel, stuffing the two halves of his special bowl into the pouch around his neck. It clanked faintly against the few other possessions he had inside. The only things he’d brought with him when he’d fled the Kingdom of the Sea. The SeaWing prince did his best not to think about that. Everything had been happening so fast. First he’d found a long-lost sister, it almost felt like he was making up for the guilt he bore over the egg he’d failed to save so long ago. But then, Tsunami had upended his entire life, and he’d had to leave with her when he thought he would soon be discovered. 

But now, he was out far from the ocean, far from any dragon that knew him, far from anyone who might discover his secret. It was easy not to think about it too hard out here, especially now he had the pinecone that made him uninteresting to notice. 

He knew he didn’t want to be completely invisible. Being one out of thirty two brothers, he’d grown up in a crowd. Isolationism would drive him insane, he knew. So it was just a little thing that kept him from being too interesting, but not wholly unnoticeable. And despite it, Turtle had even managed to make new friends. Kinkajou had just returned from a scouting mission, and she’d rounded up all the others in order to try and regale them with her tales. 

“GAH!” 

Turtle heard the shout and felt the rising heat in front of him just as he looked up to see a bright orange and gold chest about to slam into him. He and the SkyWing both backpedaled quickly, she with an expression of horror. Turtle had a feeling he just missed a terrible fate quite by accident. 

The SkyWing made certain to put a safe distance between them, and then schooled her features into an impressive scowl. “By the sun, what do you think you’re doing?! You don’t just skulk about in tunnels - that’s just asking to have your tail scorched off!”

“Whoa, sorry.” Turtle said automatically, ducking back. 

He might've just carried on his way, back to his normal, unnoticed life with his safe (if odd) group of friends. But then his brain snagged on the steam rising from her scales, the fierce weird blue of her eyes. A memory surfaced. Of staff in the Deep Palace whispering about the goings on in the war. Of course, Turtle always felt most guilty whenever talk was brought up about his father, taken prisoner by the SkyWings just before Anemone hatched. Sometimes the rumours contained hope of the recent negotiations. Other times there were fears he would be put in Queen Scarlet’s ‘Arena of Death’. A central figure was always the star of those horror stories, and whilst Turtle could now see that some features had been exaggerated, the SkyWing with firescales was unmistakable.

“You’re Peril, aren’t you?” he asked. “Queen Scarlet’s…”

“Yes,” she hissed. “I’m Queen Scarlet’s notorious death monster.”

“Ah, okay…” It was clear that she didn’t want to talk, in fact that scowl had only deepened in her brows. Turtle thought the safest option was to just turn around and go back the way he’d come. “I’ll just go, then.”

“Who are you?” She asked abruptly. Turtle paused, unsure what to say. “I’m not being creepy! I’m not, like, putting you on a murder list or anything. I don’t have a murder list, I mean. Wait, no - to be clear, I have no kind of murder list at all. Definitely out of the murdering business, me. Maybe I should stop saying the word murder.”

Turtle tried to smile. Her rambling would be funny if it weren’t so terrifying. “That would be great, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I just did what I was told,” she said hastily. Was that misery, tiredness, in her eyes? “I was doing what my queen told me to do. Isn’t that what everyone does? I can’t help what I’m like - and what she made me do. Can I?”

“I guess.” That actually made a lot more sense than he liked. This SkyWing, who was probably the most dangerous thing in all Pyrrhia, looked sad and lonely stood by herself in the empty stone passage, tucking in her wings and trying to justify her own existence. Turtle felt his heart be moved. But was it safe to befriend what everyone else would call a monster? He decided to take that chance. “Turtle.”

She stared at him, dumbfounded. “Moose.”

He tried  _ really  _ hard to contain his sniggers. “I mean, my name is Turtle.”

“Oh!” Her eyes widened. “Right. Hello. Thank you for not screaming or fainting or throwing a crocodile at me.”

“I thought about it,” he said. “I mean, not the crocodile. Definitely not in the reptile throwing business, me.” Instead of laughing with him, her brows furrowed low again and Turtle felt what little ease he’d gained be dashed. “Ha-ha? Friendly joke? Are those allowed?”

“Why aren’t you scared of me?”

“I  _ am,”  _ he said. “I just… I guess I’m more scared of the bad guys wanting to kill me out there, than the one who is trying not to kill me in here. And besides, every dragon’s got their issues.”

He knew that more than anyone. 

“Hey,” he caught her eyes and gave a small smile. “You want to come meet my friends?”

* * *

Peril followed the pudgy SeaWing through the tunnels, trying to be careful not to accidentally step on his tail. But it was rather aggravatingly difficult, seeing as this chubby dragon didn’t seem to want to move very quickly, even when walking. But there was a tightness in her chest, a weighty feeling like she really shouldn’t burn him, even if it was just to prompt him to move faster from under her talons. 

He was nice to her. He hadn’t run, not even when he knew who she was. And Turtle didn’t look like the kind of dragon with two faces, one he showed when talking  _ to  _ her, and one for her back. A part of her wanted to trust him. Even if another part was yelling she should go find Clay, Clay was safe, Clay was wholesome feelings that made her feel happy and good. Turtle wasn’t a threat to her physically, but it was amazing how vulnerable she felt on the inside.

He led her to a cave ledge on the side of the mountain, big enough for a group of dragons. And there was a group already here. A NightWing, a RainWing, a SandWing, and a… oh no. 

“What is she doing here?!” jumped up the IceWing prince from yesterday.

“What’re you doing here?” Peril demanded at the same time.

Everyone looked to Turtle, who shrunk into himself. “I… um, invited her? Because that seemed like the good thing to do?”

“Well good for you, Turtle!” pronounced a loud, high voice as the RainWing with too many colours sprang over to him. “Look at you, acting all brave and making friends with the new monsters in the mountain!”

“And you are?” the words came out rather rudely than Peril had intended, but was it any wonder when the little dragon made stupid comments like ‘ _ new monster’? _

If she were offended by Peril’s tone, the RainWing didn’t show it. “Oh, I’m Kinkajou - I’m, like, Queen Glory’s best friend. Hasn’t she mentioned me? And these are my bestest friends! This is -”

“Don’t-!” the IceWing tried, but was ignored.

“Moon, Winter, Qibli and you already met Turtle.” she beamed. “Dragons call us the Jade Winglet. Well, I’ve never heard someone actually say it, but wouldn’t it be totally awesome if they did? We get our own secret friendship-group codename!”

Winter snorted. “This is not a ‘friendship-group’.”

“Riiiiight.” Smirked the SandWing - Qibli. “So you hang out with us nearly every day because you like to be miserable, is that it?”

“Being around you certainly solidifies my life long belief in IceWing superiority. I might’ve forgotten about it otherwise.”

Qibli looked shocked. “Did I just hallucinate or did my Clawmate make a  _ joke?!” _

“We aren’t Clawmates.”

Kinkajou shook her head. “No, you clearly hallucinated. Otherwise Winter would’ve made a joke that was actually funny.”

All of them laughed. Peril didn’t. She watched this group of friends be easy around each other. Even the prickly IceWing let his guard down when he thought no one was looking. They brushed wings and touched tails in silent forms of communication - a language that Peril would never understand. She felt like an intruder, someone come to look but could never be part of it. 

And she didn’t want to stick around until they noticed that too. “I… I think I’ll just leave.”

“Hey, Peril!” Turtle almost reached out to stop her. She had to flinch away from him, glaring at his stupid, forgetful face. “You don’t have to go.”

“I appreciate the pity.” She really didn’t, even if it was better than outright hate. “But you don’t want me here, I can tell. So it’s no good pretending.”

“And why wouldn’t we want you here?” asked Qibli. 

Peril stared at him. Turtle had said on the way up here that Qibli was quite clever. Apparently not. “Errr, because I’m the big new monster? Like your loud-mouth token RainWing just said?”

“Hey!” Kinkajou stomped her foot. “I’m not a token!”

Qibli shrugged. “Well, I’d think you’d fit right in.”

“Really?” said someone at the same time as someone else said, “How do you figure that?”

“It’s true, you were the weapon Scarlet used to entertain herself and terrify others. But you didn’t really like it.”

Peril lashed her tail, now he was being purposefully aggravating. “Don’t pretend like you know me-”

“If you really liked that lifestyle, you wouldn’t have given it up for the first boy who smiled at you.” Qibli smiled but there was something serious in his eyes, and Peril felt like he was ripping off her scales to see the bare flesh underneath. “Nah. You constantly watch others, and as soon as the room goes sour, you bolt. You used to do anything to get Scarlet’s favour. Having fire-scales means you don’t have a lot of dragons wanting to be friends.”

“Doesn’t take a genius to work that out.” she growled.

“Scarlet was the only one who showed you any kind of love, right? Twisted and fake, to be sure; and you knew - that’s why you left with Clay.”

“How did you just know all that?” Moon asked in awe. 

Qibli lifted his head higher, his smile turning to a full grin. “Observation. You can tell a lot about a dragon just by noticing what they’re doing.”

Winter cleared his throat loudly. “How does any of that make her like the rest of us?”

“Haven’t you noticed that everybody here has some kind of family issues?” Qibli said. “You’ve got family who think you’re a disappointment, no matter how hard you try or how good you do by them.”

The IceWing opened his mouth to argue, but then thought about the words and shut it again. His wings drooped to the floor. Cautiously, Moon reached out to brush one with her own. Winter looked at her sharply, his eyes wide.

“Turtle’s one out of… I don’t know how many,” Qibli went on. “He’s been ignored all his life, to the point where his own mother doesn’t bat an eye to him just disappearing for over a year. My family are a bunch of crime bosses who’ve always wanted me dead. And Moon has a father who’s trying to rip apart the world and kill all her friends.”

“What about me?” asked Kinkajou.

Turtle scratched at his neck awkwardly. “Do RainWings even have families?”

“No. We raise our eggs communally. I have no idea who my parents are. Isn’t it great?”

“So Peril has adopted-mom issues,” finished Qibli. “What can I say? I think she fits right in. Welcome to the Jade Winglet!”

* * *

_ 5014 AS, One Year Later… _

The passage of time is the one constant thing anyone can be certain of. The Rebellion steadily cemented itself in the minds of all the dragons of Pyrrhia, whether that be as the shadowy organisation no one knew about, or the beacon of hope that everyone wanted to see in action. Over the course of that year, the Rebellion and its allies fought in several small skirmishes against either Blister’s army or the NightWings. It was never anything that could really be called a battle. Thorn and her Outclaws were also a great help in hounding Blister’s forces, disrupting the work of her soldiers or smuggling out persons of interest before Blister could get her talons on them.

Moon was torn on how to feel for the length of that year. On the one talon, her mother was out there, likely a prisoner, and her father and tribe were hunting her. It felt like a betrayal of the gravity of the situation to enjoy herself in any capacity. Yet on the other talon, she couldn’t remember a time where she felt so hopeful. Her control was developing nicely, with Darkstalker’s help, and the confidence he had given her allowed her to have friendships. The Jade Winglet had become her new family.

Yet in the dark of being so close to them, was the burden of knowing she was in their minds and they had no idea. More than once she contemplated telling them of her powers. But each time it seemed like the wrong moment, or Darkstalker would warn her against it. Eventually it just felt too late to come out with it organically. 

But she decided to put those thoughts aside. Spring was just around the corner; Moon’s hatchingday, the first night of spring, was the turning point into the new year. Only a few more days of winter left, only a few more days of this year left. With their duties taking them far and wide as dictated by the Dragons of Destiny and their strategies, the Jade Winglet chose to spend those moments they could together. Tonight, they were gathered on their ledge, a fire in the middle, as they all told stories. Turtle had come up with the idea, after Moon had given him enough subtle hints. He’d once fancied himself an author, and from what she gleamed in his brain, he was quite good. So he should share his stories with their friends. 

Of course they all had to share stories then. The firelight provided atmosphere as well as warmth. Qibli told a musical comedy that had them all laughing until Moon felt tears in her eyes. Kinkajou told an over-dramatic retelling of her and Glory’s daring escape from the volcanic NightWing island, completely with rainbows and armies being felled by the two of them alone. Peril didn’t really know any stories, so opted out. Moon had nothing to offer, but reading them ‘ _ Prince of the Sun _ ’. 

As midnight soon approached, with the moons shining behind him and the firelight turning his pristine white and blue scales amber, Winter stood to tell his story. Whether it was because his mind had eased with the food and wine they’d all brought, or that she was getting good at reading his face, but Moon had the impression that Winter liked their attention. The faint smile in the corner of his mouth and the ever-so-slight excitement in his eyes made him look years younger. 

**_Be prepared for utter drivel,_ ** said Darkstalker.  **_Probably about how great IceWings are, as if he doesn’t go on about that enough._ **

_ Even if you saw that in a possible future,  _ Moon replied,  _ he deserves the chance to tell his story.  _

**_Last chance to get out while you can,_ ** he grumbled. He’d been doing that alot lately, warning her off Winter’s presence, and she couldn’t understand why. 

“I did want to tell a story of great IceWing heroes,” said Winter. “But Turtle jogged my memory with his tales of magical wish-granting fish. So I will instead settle for educating you.”

“Oh good,” said Peril. “I was wondering when we’d be told the IceWings are always so much better than us.”

Winter ignored her. “You all know about animus dragons, how some tribes have them, and some don’t, and that animus magic is dangerous. But it was the IceWings who were the first to figure out that too much use can damage the dragon’s soul. We  _ perfected _ the use of animus power. We were very careful with our animus dragons. We bred them into the royal line, watched each potential animus from hatching, and trained them carefully so they would understand their limits. Each IceWing animus spent years planning his or her one great enchantment. They could use their power just once, to create something that would benefit the whole tribe.”

Moon and Qibli exchanged a glance across the fire. It sounded not too dissimilar to the NightWing contingency, making their animus dragons bound to the permission of their keepers. 

“But our last animus,” said Winter, “was Prince Arctic. He was only days away from his gifting ceremony… when the NightWings kidnapped him.”

A hush fell over the group. 

And then, Darkstalker’s voice came in Moon’s head, urgent and commanding,  **_Moon, I think it best if you go inside now._ **

_ What?  _ She frowned, confused.  _ Why?  _

**_Please, do as I say. This is a pack of lies you don’t need to hear._ **

The slight edge of panic in his voice made Moon’s heart beat faster, a sense of dread gather in her stomach. She stayed exactly where she was. 

**_Moon!_ **

She ignored him as Winter continued. “It began with the thrice-cursed NightWing known as Foeslayer. She approached the IceWings under the guise of peace, to offer us an alliance against the SkyWings, and instead she abducted our prince.”

“What for?” Qibli grinned mischievously. “You know, all the IceWing princes I’ve met have been kind of grouchy. Why would someone want one around enough to steal him?”

“Because,” growled Winter, “Prince Arctic was our last animus. IceWing’s haven’t had any in centuries… And do you know why? Because the NightWings stole that power from us.”

Peril scoffed. “That’s crazy, you can’t steal a power like that.”

“You can if it’s genetic. The NightWings never had an animus dragon until they took Prince Arctic. Now they have them, and we don’t.” 

**_Moon!_ ** Darkstalker was shouting in her mind in a tone of voice she had never before heard, something between anger and desperation.  **_Don’t listen to any more of this! I swear, I will explain everything, but what you’re hearing now is all lies. There was no theft, no -_ **

_ You know about all this.  _ Moon was trying her best to keep an outward appearance of calm, though she didn’t think she was very successful from the way Qibli was making sideways looks at her.  _ Why is it so important that I don’t hear this?!  _

Darkstalker began to talk, loudly and quickly. Mostly just any form of noise that would split Moon’s concentration, drown out what her actual ears were telling her. Gritting her teeth, she talked to try and ground herself in the present. “Wait, what are you saying, Winter? That Foeslayer… and Prince Arctic… they had eggs together? A NightWing and an IceWing?”

Winter stared into the fire grimly. “Arctic would never have agreed to it - would never have betrayed the royal family that way - unless Foeslayer threatened him with something terrible. But whatever she did, it worked. Arctic fathered Darkstalker, the first NightWing animus.”

Moon felt as if the ground had just evaporated underneath her. Darkstalker was suddenly silent. “D-Darkstalker?” she forced the word out. “How do you know about him? 

“Everyone knows about him.” 

“I don’t,” said Qibli. 

Winter rolled his eyes. “Anyone who’s  _ anyone,”  _

“Ah, I see. You mean IceWings.”

“And NightWings,” said Moon. She was the only NightWing in the rebellion who had been around the rest of the tribe, no one could call her out for the lie. “I heard tales about him when I was small, but nothing substantial. What did he do?”

**_Moon, I can explain -_ **

_ I’ll deal with you later!  _ Her mind was spinning. She thought she would vomit. A place inside her she’d thought to be a safe haven, a place where her first true friend resided, was crumbling. It felt like someone had cut her open and all her blood was pouring out, leaving her cold and empty. 

Winter’s eyes were hard and dark. “He was an abomination,” he spat. “The IceWings went to war against the NightWings to try and free Arctic from his imprisonment. Darkstalker fought us, killed us, used his magic until blood rained from the sky.”

“Why didn’t the NightWings let him go?” asked Kinkajou. “I mean, they had their animus, so why keep Arctic? Why didn’t they let him go back to the IceWings and have more eggs there?”

“Because Darkstalker killed him. His own son murdered him to make sure the IceWings never got their stolen power back.”

**_He deserved it! He would’ve killed us all, I had to protect my tribe._ **

“Of course,” said Winter, “so much magic drove the Darkstalker mad, as we always knew it would. He turned on his own tribe. Attempted to take the throne, rule the world. They say an animus SeaWing, Prince Fathom, was the one who bested the Darkstalker and banished him forever, to the abyss where, even now, he waits for the time to strike. And everything has been ruined ever since.”

There was a heavy silence, which Qibli broke by loudly puffing out air. “Well, that explains it. I was wondering why everything was so very ruined all the time. Thank goodness there’s one ancient dead dragon we can blame for it.”

The others laughed to rid themselves of their nerves. Moon couldn’t breathe. 

“Would you all please excuse me?” she said quietly, standing. “I think I need to go to bed now.”

She whirled and ran back into the passages before any of them could see the first tear fall. 


	9. Revelation

She kept running. She ran all the way through the mountain, past her sleeping cave, up past Stonemover’s chambers. No matter how far she ran, it didn’t seem to be far enough. Never far enough from this pain in her chest, from this helpless sense of terror and betrayal. When she ran out of tunnels to run through, she flung herself out of the nearest opening and hastily flew into the air. Her wings were almost torn in two different directions before she got them under control. Then, she was soaring up, up, up, until the clouds were below her and the air was so thin, she couldn’t breathe. 

**_Moon, stop! Please, you’re hurting yourself!_ **

Wings folding around her, she dove back down, down, down. The wind stung her eyes, the force sucked her organs back towards the sky. Not until the last possible moment did she snap open her wings again. Membranes stretched as they caught the air and thrust it down to keep her aloft. Adrenaline flushed her neck and wrists with heat, and with it burned away all her self-pity.

Now, she was angry. 

Very few times in her life had Moon been truly angry and had the conviction to stay so. Being inside someone's head had a way of deflating that anger when you could see their reasoning and feel their true emotions. For the first time, she was grateful that she couldn't see all the way into Darkstalker's mind. It meant he had nothing to dissuade her fury. 

**_It was a bracelet._ **

His sudden words were quiet, small. She was momentarily confused.  _ What? _

**_A bracelet. A wrist cuff. Enchanted to put me to sleep forever._ ** He said. Moon had a feeling he just wanted to say anything to break the silence.  **_Since I couldn’t die - that story about making myself immortal is true - they had to come up with something else._ **

_ Who?  _

**_Fathom and Clearsight._ ** A pause.  **_I knew it. I knew when she pulled it out - right before she put it on me, I thought_ ** **Fathom must’ve touched that** **_. He broke his sacred oath to his sister, just to betray me._ **

Moon’s claws scrapped thin gouges into the rock as she came to land on a stone jutting out over the lake. The one or two SeaWings in the rebellion were often found here in the day, fishing. Now, the waters were black and still as a mirror. She stared down at her reflection, at the face that even looked naive enough to have fallen for such an obvious trick.  _ You lied to me. _

**_Technically… I merely withheld certain information. But Moon, you must realise, I was going to tell you -_ **

She scoffed.  _ Really? When?! We’ve known each other for a year and a half, you’ve had plenty of time! _

**_I could say the same thing to you,_ ** he retorted defensively.  **_Aren’t you constantly avoiding telling your supposed friends about your powers?_ **

_ That’s different!  _

**_Is it?_ ** After a moment, Darkstalker sighed.  **_Moon, please try to understand. I wanted to tell you, really I did. But what could I say? There were so many futures where the moment wasn’t right, and you hated me, or refused to speak to me again. I was..._ **

What? Afraid to lose their friendship? The same way she had been? Her green eyes met those of her reflection, talons reaching up to touch the silver scales at her eyes. “I knew you weren’t telling me everything,” she whispered aloud. “But I never thought…”

**_I’m not actually a monster, Moon, no matter what the little idiot’s ghost stories say. After all this time, can’t you tell?_ ** His attempt at humour fell flat. Moon glared at her reflection as if it were Darkstalker himself.  **_It seems history has painted me that way, but perhaps that’s what happens when you disappear before you can tell your own story, and only your enemies are left to finish it. Or your best friend-turned-enemies._ **

_ Alright. Explain your side then.  _

Grateful for the chance, he hurriedly filled her head with words.  **_There was no theft. Foeslayer never stole Arctic - he ran away with her. They fell in love and eloped._ **

_ He betrayed his tribe? Didn’t he try to explain himself? _

**_Queen Diamond didn’t want to hear it. An IceWing choosing his own path? Not following orders? The nerve!_ ** He grunted.  **_She waged a war to get Arctic back, and he resented the fact that the rest of us fought to defend ourselves and protect him. And, of course, Arctic and Foeslayer had me. A thrice-moon-born animus._ **

Moon tried to imagine what Darkstalker must look like, overlapping the daydream onto her reflection in the water. Were his scales black, white or a mixture? Did he have the mane of horns IceWings did? Maybe his claws were more serrated than normal? 

A random passing thought caught her interest.  _ Even if you’re immortal, how’re you not mind-addled? _

**_When I made myself immortal, I also made myself eternally youthful. Forever in my prime, both physically and mentally. I didn’t want my mind to decay from years even when his body couldn’t._ ** And then he gave a slightly indignant harumph.  **_And you make it sound as if I’m ancient._ **

_ Winter said the last IceWing animus was centuries ago. _

**_Two thousand years, give or take. I’ve been asleep a long time, apparently. I suspect this bracelet was supposed to keep me that way forever._ **

_ So what happened?  _

**_It’s broken. After two thousand years, anything becomes weaker. The earthquakes that came with the comet must’ve snapped it off._ **

The night her life changed. Hadn’t she experienced some great amount of visions that night too? She hadn’t been able to remember them, but what if they’d tried to warn her of this? Yet did she have a choice? What else was out there for her? A father hunting her, or the lurking animus in the shadows of her mind. It was as if forces beyond her control had compelled her down this road, from which she could not stray or draw back from. It was as if her whole life had been a prelude to that moment she heard him, that fateful meeting, that changed everything.* And now what was she to do? 

Her claws grabbed hold of a flower, one of the first as the winter began to recede in time for the coming spring. One by one, she plucked off the petals. “I can’t believe I was stupid enough to think you were some innocent victim, secluded away where I couldn’t reach you.”

They’d been talking about it for months. Moon wanted to know where he was, was starting to hope to put a plan together to rescue her friend. Darkstalker had said that he didn’t want her to risk her life, but now she could see the lie for what it was. It burned her with shame.

**_Moon,_ ** Darkstalker said gently,  **_please don’t judge me just because of your IceWing’s narrow minded simplifications. The IceWings hated the very thought of me from the moment I hatched._ **

_ Maybe they knew what you’d become. _

**_It’s not my fault I was born with these powers. I would think you’d know something about that._ **

_ But I never plotted to steal any thrones.  _ The very idea went against the roots of her bones.  _ My father might be bad, but I’ve never thought of killing him! _

**_Arctic was a traitor._ ** There was more venom in his voice when he mentioned that name.  **_I saved the tribe from him. If I didn’t, we would’ve all died. He was a lot worse than I am in those phony ghost stories! As for being king - why not? Just because we’ve only ever had queens, does that mean a king is impossible? Why would I have all these gifts if I wasn’t supposed to use them to lead and protect the tribe?_ **

Closing her eyes tight, she threw away the last remnants of the flower. She spun, ignoring the way her legs shook as she tried to walk. Her tail splashed into the lake, scattering the place where her image would have been.

**_Moon,_ ** Darkstalker tried to coax as she walked back towards Jade Mountain.  **_I promise it’s all highly exaggerated. Yes, I fought in the war, but almost every NightWing did, we had no choice. But I most certainly didn’t make it ‘rain blood’. Yes, I killed my father, but for good reason to save thousands of other lives. And I only wanted to take the throne because I wanted to make life better - for everyone! I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but please, you can’t stay mad at me for this._ **

She stopped dead in her tracks, wings quivering. “You think  _ this  _ is why I’m mad at you?”

**_I…_ ** He must’ve searched through her mind, though she didn’t try to hide it from him. And all at once she could almost see the way he shrank with realisation.  **_Oh, Moon, I didn’t -_ **

“You’re an animus.” She hissed to the air. “The first NightWing animus. And considering that animus magic is genetic, that means you must be related to Stonemover. Which means you’re related to Glassreader.”

**_Yes,_ ** came the eventual reply.  **_I had a sister. Not an animus herself, but she carried my father’s blood. Glassreader must’ve been her son or grandson._ **

She continued, even though he already knew she’d figured it out. The words needed to be spoken aloud to make them real, to be laid at his feet. “Glassreader’s spell meant that all the animus dragons of his family had to be bound to the will of his keepers. Keepers which run in my family. Which means you can’t cast a spell without my permission.”

**_I know what this looks like -_ **

“You knew!” she yelled, tears in her eyes. “You knew all along I was the only one who could set you free! Did you even like me  _ for me _ ?! Or did you just read a script to pretend we were ever really friends?!”

**_Of course not! Moon, I swear to you, I didn’t know - not fully - not at first. And after I found out, it was too late to just blurt it._ ** Though she could only hear his voice, was it her imagination or did the scales on the back of her talons tingle as if the ghost of him had touched her?  **_I swear, on my immortal life, I’m not faking that I do genuinely care about you, Moon. You’re my only friend and my only hope._ **

_ To set you free.  _

**_Not if you don’t wish it. Despite my desire to be free of this prison, I hold no power over you. I see futures where you free me, and futures where I live like this, in the dark, alone, for another thousand years. All your choices spiral off into different futures. The visions you’ve had are only brief glimpses of the most likely outcomes; you see them about as clearly as you’d see a dark cave with a burst of flame. And they could still all change._ **

_ So you can manipulate me into freeing you,  _ she pointed out.  _ You know exactly what you need to do to get me to say yes.  _

Another long pause.  **_That’s not fair, Moon. What can I say to that? Anything will sound like a trick to you. But it’s not manipulating you if I tell you that what I’m going through right now is torture. That’s just the truth. However, I cannot make you do anything. You make your own choices. That, unfortunately, is the essential problem with prophecy. Every dragon has the power to choose their own future. Except me, of course. Ironically._ **

The dots were all there, waiting for her to connect them and point the talon at him for being the bad guy all along. Yet there was still a part of her heart that wept at the thought of hurting their friendship, of being alone without him. 

_ Where are you?  _ She asked just to fill the silence. 

**_I don’t know, exactly. Somewhere close by, and dark. Underground. I can’t move, I can only… think. Perhaps now you can see why I was so pleased to find you. I can hear everyone else, but they can’t hear me. Makes for very boring, one-sided conversations._ **

The feeling of being torn felt so real, she was surprised her scales weren’t splitting apart. Darkstalker was her friend, and yet he wasn’t at the same time. He was someone who needed her, someone she could help. And despite the fact that she wanted to give Darkstalker the benefit of the doubt, she couldn’t help but hear Winter’s story repeat over and over in her mind. 

_ I can’t just set you free. I need… I need time to think about this. About you.  _

**_Have it,_ ** he said.  **_I’ll give you anything you want, help you in any way you want. Just… don’t take away my only hope, Moon. Please. At least think about it._ **

_ Alright _ , she hung her head wearily.  _ I’ll think about it.  _

**_I never meant to hurt you._ **

Her wings folded around her, protecting her from the frigid winds. “I know.”

* * *

The wind howled across the dunes, kicking up sand around Morrowseer’s ears but he paid it little mind. His golden eyes remained fixed on the Stronghold, watching for movement. The night was creeping by and his patience was beginning to wear thin. 

Then, a shadow broke from the sky and headed for his position. He did not stand, did not shift. The shadow in the sky split into three. Morrowseer’s brow twitched. It would seem the would-be Queen was in the mood for testing boundaries. 

Blister landed, neat and surgical, every move calculated and executed. Two guards came behind her more heavily, brandishing spears in what they obviously thought was an intimidating manner. Morrowseer gave them a quelling look. He out weighed them both and let them know it by peering down his snout at them. He stared at them in just the right manner for the correct length of time, and the trick always worked. After a few seconds, one guard shuffled a little, his talons readjusting their grip. The other’s eyes darted about. Morrowseer curled his lip, and dismissed them. 

That was the trick all NightWings were trained to perform, to make an enemy believe you could read their mind. It mostly worked through intimidation and reading body language. These guards didn’t want to be here and the threat of Morrowseer was enough to make them question their orders. He could work with that.

Of course, telling all of that would be a lot easier if he had - 

_ Don’t think about that,  _ he growled to himself, stamping out those treacherous thoughts before they had a chance to ensnare him in the muck of doubt. 

“Over a year into this alliance, and still I have not won the SandWing throne,” said Blister, her black eyes sliding off Morrowseer in an attempt to appear unaffected by him. “It would seem you oversold yourself.”

“No more than you,” Morrowseer replied evenly. “You have occupied the desert all this time and still you lack its complete obedience.” 

Her brows drew down with anger. “Traitors are being dealt with.”

“Yes, by your ‘Talons of Power’,” he rolled his eyes. The reaction was immediate, Blister’s wings stiffened and her guards looked at one another, growing pale. So the spies had been correct. “Former cutthroats and thieves. Fitting company for a  _ Queen _ .”

“As I once told you, Morrowseer,” Blister snapped, “traitors tearing them apart from the inside is my kind of plan. To catch common rats you need to think like common rats. That is all Vulture and his goons are.”

“But the NightWings are  _ not _ .” He allowed the first inflection to enter his tone, a growl rumbling up his throat. “Your push into the northern peninsula is reckless and we are not here to constantly clean up your messes.”

“So long as my last sister still breathes, this war will never end. Blaze needs to die, so we must push-”

“Blaze is protected by hundreds of IceWing and SandWing guards, miles behind their blockade, inside a fortress. My soldiers will not keep saving yours. I will not launch an attack on the IceWings that will drag on longer than it should.”

Blister snorted. “I was under the impression your tribe hated theirs.”

“And I was under the impression you fought smart.” He finally stood. The guards tensed, tails and spears at the ready. Morrowseer ignored them and instead focused on Blister’s barely concealed outraged expression. “The IceWings  _ will  _ be destroyed. They shall be ground into their precious snow and all the fight in them shall be beaten out. But all in good time, when I have what I need to make an informed decision.”

“When  _ you  _ can make a decision?”

“The Queen-apparent is still mourning the loss of her mother, and whilst she learns the nuances of ruling, she has appointed me to handle her duties.” He said evenly. 

“Then you are more equipped than ever to fulfill our agreement.”

“And I shall, as will you. But there is now more of the board open for us to play with.” He swept one wing to the dune behind him. Blister held her head high and strolled ahead. Her guards went to follow but Morrowseer stopped them with a quelling look. They decided not to push it.

Morrowseer followed after his SandWing ally. With his longer strides he drew level with her and led the way over the dune. A creeping sensation swept his talons and enveloped the scales of his arms the closer he drew to his destination. A feeling of quiet cold, of hardening tar, a wrongness that whispered to his sixth sense. Of course, he ignored it. 

Black wings swept aside the sand to reveal the tunnel entrance. Though Blister had been through it once before, she still drew short momentarily. She eyed the tunnel’s edges, but other than that she refused to show any reaction when she passed through. Morrowseer followed, his mind already cataloguing all the ways to dispatch her if need be. Behind her, he had the advantage to rip off her tail first and foremost. And whilst Blister was a vicious individual, she wasn’t  _ that  _ impressive a warrior. With size, strength and training to his advantage, Morrowseer knew he could dispose of her quickly.

_ Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that _ .

They emerged from the dark and narrow tunnel into the flickering firelight. Two guards were waiting at the end of the tunnel. Curved spears, designed to stick in flesh and tear it, were at the ready in their talons. Upon seeing Morrowseer, however, they bowed and stood aside. He led the way again as they came around the side of the waterfall. All the trees in a hundred metre circle had been chopped down. The exposed trunks like the stumps of severed heads, bleeding red from the light of the brazier in the centre of camp. From the shadows came pairs of glittering dark wings, their faces turned to regard Blister solemnly before they carried on to their duties.

As their eyes adjusted to the light, Blister and Morrowseer could see the structures at the edges of the circle. Buildings made of wood taken from the ancient trees, or stone quarried where they could be found. It wasn’t anything impressive, but it was the beginnings of things yet to come. The foundations for the kingdom the NightWings were going to build here. And Morrowseer had every intention of seeing that promise be fulfilled. 

“I see you’ve been busy,” Blister remarked. 

“NightWings never rest until the job is finished,” he said. “Not even when the odds seemed stacked or the goal is ever frustrating. We conquered the rainforest, we took the land we wanted and have made it ours. All without your assistance, it seems.”

Blister glanced left and right, as more NightWings stepped out to surround them. They kept their distance, but their gaze was intent. Everyone watched for Blister’s tail, to see whether she would act. Though her beady black eyes were dangerous, she did not move. 

“I admire the show of strength, Morrowseer,” she said in a tone that belied that fact. “But if you had no more use for me, you would have broken our alliance and never summoned me. There’s more you want.”

“Indeed,” Morrowseer flicked his tail along the ground, and the NightWings receded back into the shadows again. “The former dragonets of destiny have started a little resistance against us, or so the rumours claim. Before they managed to escape us, they stole a vital informant that would help you win this war. This must be rectified.”

“And how is this informant going to be of use? How do we know they haven’t already been tortured and spilled all your secrets?”

_ Because I trained her not to,  _ Morrowseer thought. But he said, “The dragonets of destiny are too soft to consider torture. And if we are to succeed in winning this war, then we need to play the long game, draw Glacier and Blaze out. I can only know how, when and where to do that with the help of this missing informant.”

From the look on Blister’s face, he knew she didn’t fully trust his answers. But he wasn’t giving her anything more. He needed Moonwatcher back. If that meant sending cunning and ruthless Blister to hunt her down to the ends of Pyrrhia, then so be it. 

A twig snapped. All eyes turned towards the sound. The smug grin told Morrowseer more than anything else, the identity of the NightWing as he sauntered into the heart of the camp. In one talon he held a rope that dragged behind him. 

“Fret not, for I have returned, triumphant,” he proclaimed loudly. “Not that shocking, I know, but I thought you all might want to take this opportunity to be thankful.”

Blister cocked a brow scornfully. “Do you allow all of your soldiers to show such insolence?”

It took every ounce of willpower, and counting backward in multiplications of three, for Morrowseer to maintain an outward appearance of calm. “Deathbringer is no soldier-”

“The greatest assassin in all of Pyrrhia, at your service.” With a sweep of his wing, bowed low in an overly dramatic fashion. For not the first time, Morrowseer wanted to slice his claws along the younger dragon’s arrogant throat. The only thing that stayed his talon was the fact that Deathbringer was, whether he liked it or not, the best agent he had. 

Blister scoffed. “A bold claim.”

“Deathbringer attempts to be amusing,” said Morrowseer, “in the hope it will stave off future punishment.”

The assassin cleared his throat as he stood. “Annnnnnnd, on that note, I would like to remind everyone that I did as ordered. Again.”

He pulled on the rope, and a shadow fell into the firelight. Red scales and orange wings flopped to the ground in an undignified manner. Rubies encrusted into the scales along her brows caught the light, drawing attention to her furious yellow eyes. Even if Morrowseer hadn’t met this dragon before this moment, he would recognise her by the hideous scar along one side of her face. Her flesh had been melted away around her eye socket and along her cheek, leaving her teeth to clack like a skull, and her eye to roll loosely.

Queen Scarlet.

Of course rumours had persisted the Scarlet was alive, even after she had been viciously attacked. Yet she’d disappeared so suddenly that many had doubted. Morrowseer had followed his gut and ordered Deathbringer to track her down. He could see the former SkyWing queen was a little weak, perhaps both from recovering from her horrendous injury, and from her captivity. Burn had kept her prisoner, yet with her death, Scarlet had escaped in the chaos. By the looks of it, she’d been in hiding for some time, barely surviving, on the run from a daughter who would want her dead to secure her own throne. 

Scarlet starred up at them, growling savagely, smoke pouring out of her nostrils and from between her teeth. She couldn’t do much more, Deathbringer had tied the rope tightly around her snout, wrists and ankles. She could probably do little more except shuffle in any one direction. Yet even when she lay so pathetically, she had the gall to promise gruesome deaths for all of them in her stare. 

At last, Morrowseer jerked his head at her. “Let her speak.”

“Err, are you sure about that, sir?” Deathbringer asked. “She’s quite the fiery one - literally.”

“Scarlet knows that she’s without allies, without power, and surrounded by enemies. If she stopped and thought for a moment, she would recognise that by all rights, she should be dead. Unless we had something we needed to discuss.” Morrowseer bent low to push his large face close to Scarlet’s. She hissed, and more smoke poured out of her, but he ignored it. “Are you willing to talk, Scarlet?”

There was a moment of hesitation, where she weighed her options. But she must’ve found some wisdom in his words, either that or she spotted all the hostile dragons around her and recognised a fight she couldn’t win - at least not in her current state. She nodded. Morrowseer pulled back and Deathbringer reluctantly did as ordered.

“Don’t think me so helpless, NightWing!” Scarlet spat the moment the assassin undid the bonds around her snout. He left the rest of her tied up, however. “I didn’t stay Queen of the Sky Kingdom for so long without good reason.”

Morrowseer’s expression mirrored the one he’d worn when he’d visited her arena - utter boredom. “The fact that you were Queen for so long is precisely why I wish to open negotiations with you.”

“Negotiations?” Blister demanded incredulously. “Morrowseer, are you forgetting that this wretch was once an enemy of mine? She sided with Burn, directly opposed my candidacy as queen.”

Scarlet threw her head back (as much as she could) and laughed. “For all your smarts, Burn was more fun than you, Blister-dear.” 

The SandWing turned her black eyes on her, and stalked around her. Scarlet had to try and twist her head painfully to keep her (and her tail) in her line of sight. “Yes, my sister let you play with your toys, until you became just hideous enough to become one of  _ her  _ toys. Was it fun, being in my sister’s weirdling tower? I heard she likes to do all kinds of experiments on dragons who differentiate from the norm.”

She completed her circle and tapped her talon on the end of Scarlet’s nose, just shy of her scars. The SkyWing fought against her bonds, and snapped her teeth at Blister’s claws.

“Believe me,” Scarlet snarled. “If she were alive, I’d be the first in line to gut her! And my traitorous daughter too!” 

Blister chuckled. “How? From what I hear, your kind are quite taken with Ruby. I find her dull witted, but your subjects are nauseatingly loyal to her. They’d probably kill you themselves before you could ever get close to issuing a challenge.”

“But,” Morrowseer said, “we could step in on your behalf. If Blister can involve alliances to obtain her throne, why shouldn’t you?”

Scarlet scoffed. “Is that you opening negotiation? Bold, I’ll admit. What do you want in return?”

“The rebels. The Sky Kingdom is vast and wild, with plenty of places to hide. The other Kingdoms are too extreme to house all of them comfortably. You know the mountains better than any other SkyWing alive - at least, that is what you always boasted. Deliver on that claim, and find us the dragons of destiny.”

“I want the RainWing! The one who did  _ this  _ to my face!” She cried immediately, jabbing one talon towards the wounded side of her head. “I want to kill her myself, slowly, painfully.”

“Done.”

“And you will help me take back my throne?” this time she was a little more wary. 

Blister smirked. “That depends upon how well you perform your task.”

“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Blister-dear,” Scarlet grinned toothily. “I have just the plan for that. I won’t even have to leave this rainforest. It turns out your  _ beloved  _ sister was more of an imbecile than even you realised. She was oblivious to what she had at her disposal.”

They bickered back and forth for a time before their alliance was finally settled and agreed upon. Deathbringer quickly untied her, and made himself scarce before the SkyWing could kill him “accidentally” out of spite. Morrowseer wasn’t sure whether he would reprimand her or not if she did so. Scarlet then demanded food and rest, and a NightWing scurried to show her to appropriate quarters.

“So,” Blister said as they watched Scarlet be led into the camp. “Your plan is to have her find us the dragonets...”

He nodded. “Yes. When she leads us there, we destroy the RainWings, capture any runaway NightWings and force the Dragons of Destiny to publicly proclaim you, Blister, as Queen of the SandWings.”

“And if they refuse, we can always kill them to stop others following in their footsteps.”

“Then we understand each other.”

And then, when it was all done with, he would finally have Moonwatcher back. She would be back where she belonged, her little rebellious foray would be over. The memory of her disobedience still made his stomach turn. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about it. She betrayed the tribe, betrayed  _ him _ , and if she were anyone else, he wouldn’t hesitate to have her punished severely. But then, she was also his dragonet. And she’d walked away from him. 

Perhaps he’d been wrong to keep her away from the island. Perhaps being on the mainland, surrounded by the enemy, away from her own kind, had planted corruption in her. Her mind was addled and needed to be corrected. He would see to that. 

And then, once he had his daughter back, her true purpose would be fulfilled. With her powers in both telepathy and foresight, he could discover the weaknesses of every Queen and Kingdom in Pyrrhia. NightWing dominance over the entire continent would be assured. The tribe would be made glorious once again. 

“You will have your throne, Queen Blister. We will see to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * = paraphrasing in lovely dedication to Christopher Golden


	10. Skyfire

Despite the warm sunshine, the morning air was frigid. The turn of spring was still three days away, ushering in the new year, and Moon’s ninth hatchingday. Though such an event should have been cause for celebration by anyone else’s standards, she couldn’t seem to think much of it. Her mind was too filled with everything she had learned. 

Which was why she had decided to break her usual routine and get up before noon to go with her friends down to the lake. Kinkajou lounged on the shore, soaking in as much sun as her small wings could catch. Qibli sat next to Moon and they chatted about Moon’s next class of RainWings and what the more advanced students needed to learn before Qibli could send them off. He’d recently begun helping Sunny and Glory coordinate their infiltrators. 

They all laughed as they watched Turtle swim about in the lake with all the speed and grace that he usually lacked when on land. Peril, having taken a break from patrolling, was sat on a rock, being very careful not to allow any stray scale to touch a single blade of grass. After much convincing, Peril had agreed to allow Turtle to feed her fish, as she had never tasted anything that wasn’t burnt to a crisp. He threw the fishes he caught up to her, aiming for her open mouth. The first two attempts managed to miss her completely. The third hit her squarely in the face. The fourth finally hit its goal - only for Peril to instantly yell how disgusting it was. Anyone else might’ve been afraid of her outburst, but the Jade Winglet all knew this was just her way.

After a time, Qibli brought out his deck of playing cards for him, Moon and Kinkajou to play; though the RainWing never seemed to understand the rules properly. Turtle and Peril were too busy grousing good-naturedly at each other. In all, Moon would’ve said it was a perfect morning…  _ if _ she could get a certain someone out of her head.

**_Moon, please, you cannot ignore me forever!_ **

All through the night, Darkstalker had been switching between pleading or lecturing or grovelling to try and get her to forgive him. He’d even come into her dreams. Usually, she enjoyed it when he did this, as they would embark on many hilarious adventures together, to get away from the terrible visions that plagued her nightmares. One time, he’d even taken her to the moons in dreams, and it had been such a great memory… But now everything about their friendship had been called into question. No matter how Darkstalker tried to convince her otherwise, the seed of doubt was now planted. 

She’d tried to ignore him, pretending he didn’t exist. That got under his scales, but he wouldn’t relent in trying to win her back. Eventually, it just got exhausting and that was why she thought to distract herself by being around her friends. 

**_The SandWing’s going to put down a three of talons,_ ** he reported in her head. And sure enough, Qibli put down the predicted card.  **_You can win if you put down the Queen of tails._ **

Gritting her teeth, she put down the two of wings instead. 

Darkstalker gave an aggravated tut,  **_Now you’re just being childish._ **

Because she had exhausted all other options, she tried to fit his commanding, rich baritone voice into a raindrop and smother it away in the storm. When the trick didn’t work as seamlessly as she was accustomed too, she tried to shove and mold and squeeze his voice into the shape she wanted so it would go into the droplet. But it didn’t seem to want to fit no matter what she did. 

**_Oh, that trick won’t work with me, my dear,_ ** Darkstalker said, amused.  **_I’m not so easily submerged._ **

_ Then do me a favour and just pretend it worked!  _ She snapped.  _ In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m still sour with you.  _

**_I said I was sorry_ ** \- 

_ Yes, I know. But that doesn’t mean I can instantly move on.  _ She shuffled her cards in her talons, trying to ignore the way her stomach sank.  _ I need time to trust you again.  _

**_Then take time, by the Great Dragon, I have all the time in the world._ **

_ You don’t have any choice. As you know, I’m the only one who can let you out.  _ Maybe that snide remark had been a little on the nose, but she couldn’t help it. Darkstalker was quiet for a few moments, and Moon felt a question floating to the surface. She didn’t want to appear contradictory having just argued for him to shut up, but she needed to know.  _ How does it work?  _

**_What?_ **

Kinkajou was laying down her card, and when it proved to be an illegal move, Qibli patiently tried to explain and show her the right course of action.  _ Glassreader’s spell. I’m guessing he was born after you, and you’re not a direct ancestor. So how does his spell affect you?  _

**_You’ve seen how magic works,_ ** Darkstalker said, trying (and failing) to hide his slight happiness to be given even this shaky bridge to prove he could win her back if he were honest.  **_An animus need only say a few words and their wish is made real. But do not be fooled. Magic is a fickle thing, and when wording your spell, one must be specific in the command, or else the magic is likely to take a different interpretation than you meant and go awry._ **

_ How so? _

**_Let’s say, for example, I took a stick and said: I enchant this stick to make any dragon it touches appear, to all forms of observation, dead._ **

Moon was so startled by such an extreme example, she almost dropped all her cards.  _ Why would you do something like that? _

**_It’s just an example! Maybe you’re on the run, maybe the only way to get rid of your pursuers is to make them believe you’re already dead._ ** He explained hurriedly, likely to stop her imagining any dark implications in his words.  **_Anyway, you have your stick, but there’s a problem: the enchantment was to make you appear dead to all tests; so it would stop your heart, kill your brain, halt your breathing. How do you reverse the process? You’re dead. This is why you have to be specific with magic, give it rules and conditions to follow. The correct enchantment would be: I enchant this stick to make any dragon it touches appear dead to anyone else for one hour, then return them to normal with no ill effects._ **

_ So you’re saying that Glassreader wasn’t specific enough? _ Moon frowned, putting down a random card for the game, not paying much attention.

**_That would be my guess,_ ** Darkstalker sighed. **_Whatever the wording in his spell was, it did not specify to only restrict the powers of his_ ** **descendants** **_. Instead, all animus dragons related to him are chained. As his uncle, that includes me. I cannot cast a single spell._ **

_ Unless I give you permission,  _ she finished for him.

_ Moony’s really quiet, _ came Kinkajou’s voice.

The sudden intrusion and intensity of the thought made Moon jump, and this time she did drop her cards. She spun to her friend, bewildered and frightened all at once. “W-whaaaa?”

“I knew it!” Qibli said and pointed a talon in Kinkajou’s face. “I knew you were cheating! Oh, you almost had me fooled. But I just knew you were looking at Moon’s cards!” 

Kinkajou turned an indignant shade of red with blotches of green, like a tomato about to ripen. “I did not!” 

“Oh yes you were,” he grinned. “You cheat just like my brother, Sirocco. Whenever my grandfather caught him, he’d have his tail pinched by scorpions to teach him to cheat better!”

The RainWing turned a pale yellow with disgust. “Ewww. SandWings don’t actually do that, do they?”

“They do in my family.” Qibli shrugged as if to deflect any pity. 

Over the course of their friendship, Qibli had mentioned his family only a few times. Moon always sensed a buried feeling of dread whenever thoughts of them popped into his head. “Why would your grandfather do something like that?”

Despite the fact that she could read in his mind that he was uncomfortable with the line of conversation, Qibli was a flawless actor and laughed as if nothing were amiss. “My grandfather is one of the biggest crime lords in the Scorpion Den. You got anything illegal going on in the Kingdom of Sand, his talons are in on it. Smuggling, pit-fighting, racketeering, assassinations, you name it. Vulture’s gang are ruthless and he expects only the best. My sister, Rattlesnake, learned how to throw a knife blindfolded because grandfather had his thugs try to beat her while she couldn’t see. He was practically running the Scorpion Den, on nothing but fear, until Thorn and us Outclaws took it back.”

“Bet he didn’t like you fighting for the other side!” Kinkajou was almost bouncing on her front talons with the excitement of the story.

“Well, he couldn’t have cared that much,” Qibli said. “Thorn didn’t like the way my mother treated me. So she had my mother sell me to her.”

He tried to hide the way a storm of confusion and sadness welled up inside him at the memory. Moon saw in his head the tiny dragonet, bringing his mother coconuts, her favourite, all for just a small shred of affection. His only reward was to be beaten and nearly concussed for daring to show weakness. 

Unable to stop herself, Moon’s wing went around his shoulders. “I’m so sorry.”

Qibli’s head snapped up, his sharp, golden stare meeting hers.  _ She means it,  _ he thought,  _ am I really that obvious or is she just good at reading me? Funny, the way she always just knows how I’m feeling… _

Moon pulled back her wing and they slowly returned to their game. Uninterested, Moon lost the game on purpose.  _ This feels wrong, deceiving them like this.  _

**_They wouldn’t completely abandon you,_ ** Darkstalker said.  **_They’d be drawn to your power. But it is safer if you hold on to this one advantage._ **

“Hey Winter!” they heard Turtle call. “You’re rather late.”

“Just don’t,” grumbled the IceWing as he passed behind Moon, the gentle cold aura of his scales passing over her back, to head to the lake.

Moon whirled, startled for the third time that morning. Winter’s thoughts, usually so distinct and a confusing maze of mirrors reflecting his emotions… they were gone. She hadn’t heard him coming, hadn’t sensed him at all. Straining her power, she tried to focus on him, but all she could hear was that strange distant hum she usually got off Icicle. How was this possible? 

“Hey, Moon,” said Qibli, “you in for another game?”

“N-No…” she murmured, already rising to her feet to follow Winter. “You two play, I’ll catch up.”

She would feel bad about leaving them behind later, but her need to know was too great. As she left them, she heard Qibli’s mind mumble despondent,  _ Knew she liked him. Can’t say I blame her though. I just wish…  _ But then, his thoughts were drowned out by Kinkajou’s:  _ I knew it! I knew something was bothering her. Maybe I should’ve noticed sooner, but I’m still an amazing friend, right? Is she going to Winter to talk about it? Does she need his big, strong wings to protect her? Sooooooooo romantic!  _

Winter was sat on his haunches by the lake, the small waves lapping at his toes. He was bent over washing some kind of cuff, it glinted brightly when the water sparkled off it. Moon sat beside him, studying his face for any sign as to how he could be blocking her. It was disconcerting, to look at him and for the first time not have a clue as to what was going on inside his brain. It were as if he were sick. 

_ Darkstalker?  _ She asked.  _ Can you read Winter at all? Am I just not powerful enough?  _

He was quiet for a moment, and then,  **_No. Whilst it may be a relief to no longer hear the little idiot’s thoughts, it is quite unusual how he suddenly became impenetrable to me as well._ **

She tried not to huff at his insistence to constantly insult Winter.  _ I can’t read Icicle either. Maybe they’ve both learned to shield themselves?  _

**_I don’t think so. I’ve never seen mental shielding advanced enough to block even me, and who would have trained them?_ **

Obviously, she wasn’t very subtle in her observations, because Winter looked over at her a little confusedly. “Um, can I help you, Moon?”

“Sorry,” she said quickly.  _ Get it together!  _ “Are you alright? You seem a little… off.”

“Any more than usual?” Peril said from her boulder. “Come on, IceWing, I don’t think any of us have seen you smile.”

“What’s there to smile about when you’re around?” he shot back. Moon winced. Despite the fact that they all did think of each other as friends, Winter and Peril were the two who got along the least. 

Before Peril could make another remark, Turtle popped out of the lake and threw a fish at her head. It smacked her in the eye, and she hissed. The SeaWing ducked down a little. “Oops, sorry. Thought you were ready for it.” he then turned to Winter. “I didn’t know you had treasure, Winter.”

“It’s not mine,” he said. “It’s Icicle’s, she had it specially made. And I, taking Qibli’s  _ wonderful  _ advice, brought her goat for breakfast this morning and got blood on it. Now I have to clean it.”

Moon studied the cuff as Winter held it up to inspect it. It was a simple silver band inlaid with black gemstones. A shiver ran down Moon’s spine as she stared into the stones. They seemed to suck up all the light around them and emit nothing back. She couldn’t look away, her attention was being pulled inwards, into the stones.

“I’ve never seen stones like that before,” Turtle said. “Is it obsidian?”

“No,” said Winter. “Icicle says they’re fragments from the comet-”

“You mean the one that came right before the NightWings attacked?!” Kinkajou yelped.

“Yes. Icicle calls it Skyfire.”

“Can I see it?” Moon heard herself asking, as if from some place far away.

Winter turned to her and hesitated. Slowly, he reached out towards her. “Just be careful with it.” And he passed it into her talons.

Moon froze in shock.

The world had gone silent. Not the world she could hear with her ears - that remained intact. It was her inside world. The constant seething, twittering background noise of all the minds around her had abruptly vanished. It were as if she was suddenly marooned on a deserted island, with no one around her but the tiny space that was her own body. Suddenly she was confronted with the presence of nothing but herself, her own thoughts. 

_ Darkstalker?  _ She called, staring down at the skyfire between her claws. 

There was no answer. He was gone. Everyone was gone. 

Moon’s heart began to flutter in panic. It was like being back in the rainforest, no one around her to talk to, the complete isolation making her feel so enclosed and yet so lost. She looked into the faces of her friends, but they felt so far away from her, so alien and unknowable, they might as well have been stones carved into the shape of dragons. 

Terrified, she thrust the cuff back into Winter’s talons. Her handling wasn’t as gentle as it could have been, for in the scuffle of trying not to drop it, Winter’s talon accidentally knocked into the side of the gemstone. It fell out without a sound and plopped into the water, lost amidst the sea of pebbles beneath the waves. 

“Hey, careful!” he said. He hadn’t noticed the stone go missing. 

Everyone’s voices came rushing back into Moon’s head. A year ago, hearing them so suddenly would’ve given her an instant headache. Now, she felt nothing but relief. 

**_MOON!_ ** Darkstalker was yelling, his mental shield cracking slightly with his desperation to leak through the alarm and fear inside him.  **_MOON!_ **

_ I’m here,  _ she said.

He took a shuddering breath, and his wall immediately repaired itself.  **_Three moons, you scared me. You vanished so completely… I thought you were dead._ **

_ It’s the skyfire,  _ she said, still in shock.  _ That’s why I can’t hear Icicle. Whoever holds it…  _

**_Do not tell anyone about this. You understand?_ ** He told her, voice intense and near strangled.  **_A stone from the sky that can block a mind reader’s powers? If other dragons find out, we’ll be ruined. Everyone will get one, and then we’ll be deaf, Moon, do you understand? If this gets out, it’ll be like ripping our claws off. Promise me you won’t tell anyone._ **

_ We wouldn’t be deaf. We’d be no worse off than all the normal dragons out there. _

Winter was talking, but she wasn’t listening. Her eyes remained fixed on the spot where she had last seen the skyfire. She could still feel its snare upon her mind, the damp chill it brought along her scales. Something was burning in the back of her skull, like a vision that didn’t seem to want to fully manifest itself. This was important, this skyfire, somehow. But Moon didn’t know how, exactly, not yet.

_ But fine,  _ she said,  _ I promise.  _

* * *

What dingy, dank, unimpressive quarters. 

The ramshackle wooden hut had obviously been constructed rather hastily; the boards nailed on unevenly and untidily. One couldn’t even argue that practicality instead of style had been at the forefront of the builder’s mind, for the leaf roof leaked and a draft swept in easily. Did dragonets build this? 

It was just one more thing that Scarlet added to her list of ‘reasons to violently dismember and murder all those who’d wronged her’. She was a  _ Queen _ , by the sun! She should not have to stoop to laying in the mud-soaked floor of the rainforest in a shack barely held together by rope and nails! Palaces with tall spires, thrones shining with gold, halls of feasts, arenas baying for blood - that was where she belonged. For years, she’d fought to earn it and fought to keep it. It was hers by right, it was unfair for it all to be stripped away.

But she was going to get it back, oh that much she knew for certain. Even if she had to crawl out of this squalor, had to claw back up the mountains, had to kill every last SkyWing stood in her way… She would sit on the throne again. If everyone believed her to be bloodthirsty before, they had no idea of what was coming. Along with her scales, the venom had melted away the last of Scarlet’s restraint. By the time she was finished, the mountains will run red and Ruby’s head will be impaled on the tallest tower of the Mountain Palace for all eternity. 

But to get to that point, she needed the help of her new  _ allies _ . Whilst Scarlet detested the NightWing, Morrowseer, for previously ruining her fun (on her hatchingday no less!), he was correct. She needed support and allies to take back her throne. Blister would be the real problem, but that could be handled at a later date. For now, she needed to play nice. She needed to find out where the rebels were hiding. 

_ Easy as scavenger pie,  _ Scarlet thought as she unfurled her talons and grinned down at the shining star-shaped sapphire. The Dreamvisitor. 

She’d found it inside Burn’s Weirdling tower. Obviously the brutish SandWing had no idea what it was, otherwise she would’ve used it to her advantage long before now. Scarlet had held onto it initially because she wanted to spite her captor. But quite by accident, she’d discovered what it was and stolen it when she’d escaped the Stronghold. It was how she’d managed to stay one step ahead of all those hunting her, peering into their dreams to gleam information. When Deathbringer had finally caught her, she’d hidden it initially in her fist and feigned a leg injury. And when he’d gone to tie her snout shut, she’d hidden the enchanted gemstone under her tongue. 

Now, Morrowseer believed she’d needed seclusion and maps in order to deduce possible sites the rebellion might’ve scurried away to. But she had a different plan in mind. 

The only problem now, was who to haunt. 

It might’ve been obvious to go straight for the dragons of destiny themselves, but Scarlet dismissed the idea. No matter how tempting it was, that was foolish. She’d dream-visited the treacherous RainWing once before, and she’d quickly discovered the truth. If the others were even half as observant, they’d catch on to her and the NightWings’ plan. So it had to be someone else. But who? Scarlet had heard the names of other dragons who, rumour had it, had joined the rebellion, but Scarlet had never met them before. The rules of the Dreamvisitor, according to legend, were that you had to have physically seen the dragon you wanted to visit. 

An idea sparked inside the SkyWing’s brain. There was  _ one  _ she knew for certain. Scarlet had overheard Morrowseer’s spies talking, that apparently Queen Glacier had sent delegates to the rebellion to talk about an alliance. Both were royal, but one of them Scarlet had met before: Princess Icicle. She’d been part of a team of IceWings sent to negotiate for the release of prisoners of war, one of which had been the princess’ dear older brother, Hailstorm. 

So not only did Scarlet have a victim in the right place and conveniently close to her targets, she also had leverage. This was perfect. 

Settling down, Scarlet clutched the Dreamvisitor in her talons and thought of Princess Icicle. Of her pristine white scales, her hard dark eyes, of the impressive way she conducted herself in battle. As soon as she closed her eyes, Scarlet was transported into the dream. 

_ Icicle stood on the edge of a great icy cliff, a tumultuous black sea churning far below. Her eyes were scanning for something between the waves, her teeth bared in frustration. Every now and then there was the flash of scales on the surf, or the whisper of a voice on the wind. Scarlet observed for a moment, wondering if the princess was in a lucid enough dream in order to understand what was happening.  _

_ She needn’t have worried. The moment she shifted, Icicle spun, wings flared open and frostbreath in the back of her throat. “You!”  _

_ Though her brain knew logically that nothing could harm her in the dream, it was a little unsettling to have someone breathe deadly frostbreath straight for your face. Scarlet dug her claws into the snow and did her best not to move. The frost passed right through her.  _

_ Icicle hissed and prowled back and forth in agitation. “What is this?!” _

_ “A dream,” said Scarlet. She’d gone through this song and dance too many times, trying to convince dragons she was real and not a figment of their imagination.  _

_ Lucky for her, Icicle caught on quick. “Magic! I knew it! I knew you’d sent that burning monster to spy on us!”  _

_ Oooooh… So Scarlet’s former champion and favourite toy was with the rebellion too? Pathetic, that she would cling to that MudWing so devotedly. But it was still a marvellous opportunity.  _

_ “I’m not here to talk about her, I’m here to talk business with you.” said the former Queen. _

_ “An IceWing does not negotiate with enemies of the Queen!” _

_ “Not even to save your brother?” _

_ Icicle stopped pacing. Behind her, the raging sea turned still as glass. “You… you lie! You killed Hailstorm!”  _

_ Scarlet clapped a talon to her chest. “Untrue, I never ordered his execution. Nor did I order he step foot in my arena. You think I would throw away a prisoner of such value? Tsk- tsk, princess, so narrow-minded.” _

_ “I don’t believe you!” But the princess’ eyes told a different story. “Glacier was willing to give you chests filled with diamonds as ransom! If you couldn’t give him back then, why would you give him back now?!” _

_ Scarlet smiled. “Because now… you’re in a position to give me something I actually really want.” _

_ “The location of the rebellion. Don’t act so surprised. It’s common knowledge that you would want the Dragons of Destiny dead for what they did to you.” _

_ “Indeed,” Scarlet said tightly. There was a shimmer by her right eye as the magic shifted the facade she wanted to convey. Icicle got to see her ruined face for just a split second, before she hid it away again. “Tell me where they’re hiding.” _

_ The dream around them wobbled and grew hazy, like a mirage in the desert. Icicle’s dream was fading as her thoughts became more focused. Scarlet waited eagerly… But after a moment, the dream became fixed again and they were back in the ice and snow. Now this was very unusual! Usually Scarlet got to see a glimpse of the world around the dreamer when she did this, but now she wasn’t getting anything. Icicle opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.  _

_ “Why can’t I see it?” the SkyWing demanded. “Why can’t you tell me?!” _

_ “We’re protected. It’s…” and again, Icicle’s words faded out as if the wind in this dream had snatched them away. _

_ Was something - or someone - actively doing this? That would explain this oddity, but it was most frustrating. If she wanted to get her throne back, she had to deliver the rebels to Morrowseer. Perhaps there were other ways of getting that kind of information… Until then, who’s to say that she couldn’t also get her revenge in the meantime?  _

_ “Fine. Then you’re going to do a little something for me.” _

_ Icicle snorted. “Do not think to order a Princess of the IceWings,  _ former  _ queen Scarlet.” _

_ “Don’t get snarky with me,  _ darling _.” Smoke billowed out of Scarlet’s nostrils and curled around her horns. “If you want to see your brother alive again, you’ll do exactly as I say.” _

_ “Why should I believe you have him? You are no longer the Queen of the SkyWings, you don’t have the authority or the access to release him from the Mountain dungeons.”  _

_ Scarlet threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing over the glacial cliffs around them. “Ha! And you think Ruby does? My mousy daughter is trying hard to simper up to you IceWings and your make-shift rebellion. If she had Prince Hailstorm, she would’ve given him back by now as a show of good faith.”  _

_ Icicle’s brows furrowed, her eyes darting as she took in this information. Of course it all added up, it was perfect logical sense. Scarlet slithered closer, opening her wings as if to pull the princess in closer, like dragonets sharing a secret. Icicle tried to duck aside, swiping her claws at the SkyWing, but of course the blow passed right through. _

_ “I kept special prisoners where no one could ever find them,” Scarlet informed her, circling around the princess. “Imagine it: you do one simple thing for me, and I tell you where you can find your brother. From what I remember, he was quite the hero amongst you IceWings, wasn’t he? And you were so desperate when you came to those negotiations. You try to hide it, but it was almost too much. Quite the rousing speech, I was almost impressed. Imagine bringing him home, after all this time…” _

_ Icicle didn’t answer for a long moment. “And what is it I have to do?” _

_ “Kill the Dragons of Destiny,” Scarlet hissed gleefully. “The RainWing, specifically. Avenge me. Or at the least bring her to me. Whatever means you have at your disposal - use it. The rebellion in complete disarray will be proof enough.” _

_ “I see how you benefit from this plan,” she said, “but I’m not hearing any guarantees for me. Killing is easy enough, but if I kill them, how do I know you’ll tell me the truth? And what happens to him if they catch me?” _

_ “They won’t catch you. Just do it. Do this for me, and I’ll give you the one thing I know you want most.” Scarlet allowed the illusion around her to fall away, and let Icicle behold her rotten face. “If not… I’ll be sure to show you his corpse.” _

* * *

Moon’s eyes snapped open. What was  _ that?  _

She sat up in bed, spinning to try and find the voices she’d heard in her dream. Her mind stretched out, but she couldn’t hear them. Dawn was not far off, and no one around Moon remained awake. Caught in dreams herself, she must’ve missed most of the conversation, as her telepathy skills had only translated the last little bit of it into her slumber. She didn’t recognise the two voices talking. How had they managed that? Were they other telepaths? Talking to each other as she talked to Darkstalker? But that was impossible, aside from Starflight and Fatespeaker, she was the only NightWing in the rebellion. And as far as she knew, she was the only one with powers. 

Who were those voices? And what were they planning? Well, the answer to that last question was obvious. 

_ Someone is planning a murder… But who? How? _ She reached out her mind and called,  _ Darkstalker? Do you know what that was?  _

For a while he was quiet, and she thought he either hadn’t heard her or was asleep.

**_I know some things…_ ** he said eventually, slowly.  **_But everything I could tell you leads to futures that end badly, both for you and for me. For instance, I can see clearly that if I tell you right now who you just overheard, you will seek out that dragon, and you will end up dead. Which would be unfortunate, both because I quite like you, and because then I might have to wait another thousand years to be rescued._ **

Despite how frightening it was to imagine how close she was to death in a clear possible future, there was this sense of urgency in her bones. She could stop this terrible act, her powers might finally be good for something. But the thought of doing it alone was daunting.  _ So you won’t help me at all? _

**_I didn’t say that,_ ** he assured her.  **_I’m just trying to find the correct path to ensure that you survive the days to come_ ** .


	11. The First Betrayal

Moon yawned, brain groggy and eyes heavy. She’d only gotten perhaps an hour’s worth of sleep after overhearing the would-be murderer. One would think that with mind-reading, it would be easy to catch a mental conversation. But whoever she had overheard last night, had cut the connection and didn’t go back.

Now, as she tried to go about her usual business, she was left with a quandary. Should she tell someone about the voice she heard, about someone’s plan to murder another dragon? The Dragons of Destiny were an obvious choice. But then, what could she say? If she overheard real voices, why couldn’t she pick up any clues about them? Tsunami’s first question would be to ask where Moon overheard this conversation. But of course, Moon didn’t know  _ exactly  _ where the conspirator had been, she just had a vague impression that they were on the eastern side of the mountain. If she picked a random spot, they would want to know why they couldn’t pick up the scent of another dragon. Or worse, if they did, what if that led them to the wrong dragon? 

The other alternative would be to admit that she had powers. That way, she could come clean about exactly what she’d overheard and her friends would have a better vantage to sort out the clues. But would they believe her? They had all accepted that NightWings no longer had powers, if they ever did at all. Being around Fatespeaker and her delusional “prophecies” so much, Moon already knew the five would be very skeptical of any claims she made. If she could convince them, what would they do? Tsunami and Glory had already taken some time to fully trust Moon. They thought she didn’t notice, but after so long in their heads, she knew how hard it had been for them to overcome their suspicions. 

If Moon admitted to having powers, and what’s more, revealed to having lied to them all this time, they would surely be angry. Would they kick her out of the rebellion? No, she knew too much. So would they lock her up? Flashes of her mother’s worst nightmares spun in front of Moon’s eyes. Of dragons locking her away, or shunning her, or using her power for themselves. And of her friends… of them no longer wanting anything to do with her.

Moon suddenly became aware of how much her own worries and insecurities sounded like Darkstalker’s pleas to her the other night. Was this how he had felt? Desperate to say something but nervous about which one was the right choice?

This internal debate with herself carried on for the rest of the morning. She had her first lesson with a bunch of two year-old dragonets. Most of them were RainWings, though some refugees who had found safe harbour with the rebellion had brought their dragonets with them. Moon taught them about the other tribes, their abilities and known histories. Sunny wanted all of them to have a general education about the others, so that they might grow up to have friends like she did. And through friendship could come understanding. 

She must’ve been more tired than she’d first realised, as Turtle had to prompt her more than once. When the class ended, for lunch, he came to her. “Are you alright?”

“Yes,” she said quickly. “Sorry. Didn’t sleep well.”

His face softened. “Oh, I understand that.”

Moon could see it, his head was often soft and quiet, but there were moments where even Turtle caught her attention. Times when he would feel achingly lonely, or afraid of that loneliness. He went from being one of thirty, always in a group, always used to chatter and sleeping side by side with his brothers… to being one of few, one always in danger of being alone. She’d even overheard his brain at night when he longed to sleep beside someone, anyone, for that feeling of closeness. 

“You know what I do when I can’t sleep?” he said. “I go and sleep at the bottom of the underground lake. The noise - or lack of it - is tuned out. The constantly moving water fools you into thinking someone’s there with you.”

“It does sound comforting… though I’m not sure  _ I  _ could successfully sleep underwater.” They both smiled. 

“Moony! Turtle! There you are!” came the loud sing-song voice of Kinkajou as she poked her head through the entryway to Moon’s classroom. “Come on! I got us the best spot for lunch!”

Turtle chuckled. “You say that every day.”

“Well, today it’s true. This time, I’ve picked a spot where we get the most sun for me but it’s sheltered from the wind for you guys. Although there is a slight chilly spot - we can just stick Winter there. Did I mention I  _ totally  _ don’t do this whole changing seasons thing? I much preferred it being one constant climate in the rainforest. Argh! Stupid NightWings and their stupid faces. No offense, Moon.”

“None taken,” Moon murmured distractedly as she followed behind Kinkajou and Turtle. The pair of them naturally fell into step, talking almost without pause, while hardly paying attention to where they were headed. Kinkajou’s scales, though still their ever bright sunny yellow, quickly formed splashes of vibrant pink. Turtle couldn’t keep a smile off of his face. Sometimes Moon wondered if she even needed to see into their heads to confirm they both felt something more than friendship. If only they would ever admit it. 

As they traversed the halls, Moon quickly phased out the voices of her friends, and barely paid attention to where they were going. Once more, her mind spun away to other places, other tracks of thought. The debate from earlier was back with a vengeance, and it quickly frustrated her to constantly think in circles. 

“Hey, Glory!” 

Moon blinked and looked up. They weren’t at the Prey Centre. Instead, they were outside of the ‘war-room’, as everyone had affectionately named it. It was pretty high up in the mountain, and usually only the Dragons of Destiny and the delegates they chose to speak to in these meetings were allowed inside. Glory and Tsunami were walking towards them from a separate tunnel. Their conversation stopped when Kinkajou had called out. 

“Hello, Kinkajou. Prince Turtle. Moon.” Glory greeted. “I trust you’re all well?”

“Of course we are!” Kinkajou bounced excitedly. “Especially because it’s such a nice day, and you need to come with us for lunch.”

Kinkajou went to wrap her wings around her queen’s shoulders, but Glory shied away from the physical contact. “Kinkajou, I’m afraid I can’t. I’ve got a meeting and-”

The smaller RainWing turned a despondent blue all over. “But… You have to! You’re always in meetings, you should be out with us. Show everyone how awesome you are!”

“How can you say no to that?” Tsunami chuckled. 

The muscles in the queen’s jaw tightened. “Look, I’m sorry. But you wanted me to be queen. This is the responsibility I have to deal with now.”

“Just five minutes!” Kinkajou pleaded. “You won’t be late - you’re always early to these meetings anyway. Five minutes won’t hurt.”

Moon could see the despair growing inside Kinkajou at the thought of the Queen not wanting to spend time with her. The younger RainWing’s mind instantly went to dark places, such as if this was her fault, had she done something wrong, did Glory not want to be her friend anymore? It broke Moon’s heart to let her best friend think like that. 

“Kinkajou has been telling me how much she’s looked forward to this lunch with you,” Moon piped up. 

Ruff flaring yellow, Kinkajou spun to Moon. “I have?” At her significant look, she whirled quickly back to Glory. “I mean - I have! Yes, I have.” 

“She is right,” said Tsunami. “Between us and those IceWings, we're always early for these meetings.”

“It shows that we’re taking this seriously!” Glory shot back. “Now come on, we need-”

A pounding was steadily growing in Moon’s head, like a wave building and building until it crashed upon her shore. Moon gasped. White hot pain roared through her brain and down her spine. Her knees went weak and her skull felt like it would be split open. Images flashed across her eyes. Flames, blinding light, blackened scales - 

_ Darkstalker!  _ Moon tried to pull herself out of the visions, the way he had taught her too. But it was like attempting to free herself from quicksand. The more she struggled, the deeper she was pulled in. 

**_Moon, watch out -!_ **

It was like someone had stabbed a claw through her eye socket. Moon collapsed to the ground, clutching her head. The vision branded her brain, overtaking her senses, enslaving her to its whims until it was done with her. 

_ She was in the war room. There were flames everywhere. The heat seared away her flesh and blasted away her bones. No matter where she ran, hot embers seared her feet. No matter where she turned, flames ate at her body. Smoke clogged her lungs and choked her throat. There was no air - why was there no air?!  _

_ Glory was screaming, scales a pale white before they melted away. Starflight was feeling along the walls for the exit in a panic, the scars over his eyes now matching all the rest of his blistering body. Tsunami was roaring and thrashing around the room trying to douse the flames. Clay was motionless on the floor; in the explosion, a stake from the war-table had blasted into his chest and pierced his heart. Sunny was beside him, shaking him, yelling at him to get up, her tears evaporating as they left her eyes. She seemed oblivious to her wings turning to ash.  _

“Moony?” called a voice, maybe more than once. She tried to turn away from this nightmare, go to that cool place the voices called to her from. Where could she hear them? Why couldn’t they help her?

“What’s wrong with her?”

“She told me she gets these episodes, l-like post traumatic-”

“Maybe we should get her inside. Moony, are you alright?” A talon touched hers. 

The world churned and spun, until Moon thought she would be sick. It felt like she had been balancing on a single taut wire, and was suddenly pulled onto another thread to watch unravel. 

_ Now, Kinkajou and Turtle were in the flames too. They were screaming, dying. Turtle was fiddling with a pouch but his talons were crumbling to ash. Kinkajou crawled towards Moon, her mouth hanging open in an endless scream. She clawed her way up Moon’s body, her melting eyes begging Moon to do something! Why couldn’t she do anything?! _

**_Moon!_ ** Came a loud, thunderous voice. A shadow fell over the world, like giant wings folding around her, shutting her away from the awful scene. Music filled her head, low and calming, a beautiful melody that wrapped around her mind.  **_You’re alright, you’re safe, it isn’t real._ **

_ How… how...?  _ Moon struggled. Her spirit felt caught between the horror and despair of the fire, and the music in the darkness that caressed and soothed her spirit. Slowly, she became aware of herself again, her mind slowly coming back piece by piece.  _ How is it not real?  _

**_It’s in your mind. It’s not happened yet. Deep breaths, calm down. You need to get up and move. You only have a few minutes-_ **

_ The others-! _

“Clay! There you are!” yelled Tsunami’s voice as Moon opened her eyes. The lights felt too bright, the floor too cold. Tsunami was ushering someone in from another tunnel. “Something’s wrong with Moon, can you do something?”

“I think she’s having a panic attack,” said Turtle. He and Kinkajou were on either side of her, trying to help her up. 

“Moony! What’s wrong? We need to lie you down-”

They were going to take her inside the war room. She couldn’t let it happen. She couldn’t let them die! Pulling away from them, she stood in front of the entry, wings spread wide to block the way.

“Don’t!” she begged. The vision was trying to encroach upon her again. It kept shifting and changing. The pain and the distraction made her voice weak and her sight dim. “Don’t… go in!”

“Something’s got her scared,” said Glory from the back. 

“Please, listen!” she yelled. “You can’t! It’s too dangerous!”

“Dangerous?”

Clay wiggled through his friends to stand in front of her. He took her head in his talons and tried to see into her eyes. The touch amplified his thoughts, how worried he was, a little voice warning him that something wasn’t right.  _ Was she mad?  _ It whispered to him. 

Two other sets of thoughts were coming down the tunnel towards them. One brilliant and quick. Another cold and strong. 

“By the Great Dragon, what is going-  _ Moon?”  _ shouted Winter. And then he and Qibli were elbowing through the crowd until they were in front of her. “Moon! What’s wrong?”

“You can’t go in!” she told them. “No one can go in!”

_ Look at her eyes, she’s terrified. Did someone do this to her? No, no one seems to know what’s going on.  _ Thought Qibli. “Maybe we should get her to the infirmary.”

“She doesn’t want us going into the war room,” said Kinkajou. “Something must be wrong…”

Winter lifted his head to see over Moon’s shoulder, his eyes focused, assessing. “I’ll check-”

Moon grabbed hold of either side of his face and pulled him down to look into her eyes. “No! No one can go in there! Promise me! D-  _ ARGH!”  _

_ Winter and Qibli were the only ones in the room now, and they were both burning. Screaming - _

“Moon!” The cold touch of white scales anchored her back to herself. Winter was holding her up. She’d collapsed again, into his arms. He tried to set her on her feet, his wings supporting hers. Qibli helped him to turn her away, Kinkajou’s rainbow mind there ready to help lead the way to safety. “We promise, no one will go in. Just tell us what’s wrong.”

Had she done it? Had she saved them? Maybe everything would be -

**_Get down!_ ** Darkstalker roared into her brain. 

Moon felt as if he’d slammed great talons into her back and thrown her to the ground. Just a second later, there was a  _ whoosh  _ and a  _ boom _ , as light exploded around them and the war room blasted into a ball of fire. 

Everyone was thrown back by the force. Moon felt weightless until her body slammed into the tunnel wall. Her head hit hard enough that she went blind for a fraction of a second. She melted to the floor, boneless, disorientated. Forcing her eyes open, she tried desperately to stay awake. Warm wetness was running down the back of her neck. Her shoulder was burning. 

Tsunami, Clay and Glory were up on their feet, as were Qibli and Turtle. But Winter and Kinkajou were on the ground, faces contorted in pain. Moon tried to stand up, to get to them, but one of her forelegs didn’t want to work properly. Down the hall came Peril, running, with Sunny further back helping Starflight along. Glory was pointing and saying something but Moon couldn’t hear it, there was a ringing in her ears that was too loud to overcome.

But everything in her head was coming through loud and clear. Most of it was an overwhelming wave of fear, words scattered from many different voices, images and imaginings. It pressed down on Moon, their fear becoming her fear, until she thought that if she could be any more scared, she would die. 

**_Listen to me,_ ** Darkstalker’s voice came into her head, batting away the other insignificant noise and commanding her attention. With him he brought that beautiful music that instantly hypnotised her into a sense of calm.  **_I am the calmest voice you can hear. Use me as your anchor. I’ll keep talking until you calm down. Breathe, Moon, breathe._ **

She did. One after another, she tried to suck in air to remain calm, even if it was tainted with the smoke pouring out of the war room. Darkstalker talked, constantly and calmly, and it rooted her in place. She looked at Winter, at Kinkajou and was almost too afraid to reach out to them. What if they were dead? Or close to death?

Abruptly, she remembered that awful night in the rainforest, when she had been inside that NightWing’s head, had experienced his death with him. Vomit threatened at the back of her throat. That moment had haunted her for months on the run. She couldn’t go through it again - especially not with those she loved!  _ Pop _ , that dreadful  _ pop  _ and then gone. They were gone, she was gone, just - 

**_You’re not in the rainforest,_ ** said Darkstalker, pulling her back to reality.  **_You’re in Jade Mountain, with your friends, with me. Everyone is fine. Kinkajou is fine, Qibli is fine. Your little idiot, regrettably, is fine._ **

_ Why regrettably?  _ She asked shakily.

**_So you are listening. Good. Now stay with me._ **

Sound was slowly coming back to her. Muted at first, like she was trying to hear underwater. Peril was poised at the edge of the scene, face stricken as she looked between Clay and her friends. And then, Clay was beckoning her to follow him into the smoke, likely trying to find out what had happened. Tsunami was pointing, and then she was hoisting Moon onto her back whilst Qibli tried to take Winter. Glory and Sunny brought Kinkajou. Moon whimpered, her injuries aggravated when Tsunami pulled her up. And then, all of them were travelling down and through the mountain, towards the infirmary. 

The infirmary was the sunniest cave in the mountain. Small openings in the walls (now rigged with large palm leaves to act as curtains) allowed sunlight to pour in from every angle. Vines of flowers and poultices of healing herbs hung from the ceiling, giving the room a strong scent, as if to transport the minds of the sick back to the comforts of the forests. There were two lines of short wooden cots and thin pillows. The healers were usually two rainwings, but they were absent - probably gone for their suntime. Tsunami, Glory, Sunny and Qibli each went to a bed and deposited their charges as carefully as they could. When Moon was finally laid down, she tried to relax, but became aware of the drip of her blood staining the wood of her cot. Tsunami moved away, and in her shadow was Turtle, fretting his talons, tears in his eyes as he looked over his injured friends. 

“...get help,” Tsunami was saying as sound finally returned to Moon’s ears. She, Sunny, and Glory hurried towards the exit. But Tsunami quietly paused beside Turtle, her eyes glancing towards Moon. She bent close to whisper, but Moon heard the words ring in her mind. “Find out how she knew about this.”

They left. Turtle watched them go, brown eyes wide and frightened as a rabbit before a wolf. Kinkajou looked concussed and was sporting one laceration across her chest, but seemed otherwise fine. Qibli was checking over Winter’s injuries, moving his wing aside carefully - it was a blackened mess. He must’ve been hit by a piece of burning debris. His entire left side was burned, blackened, and shrivelled. His face was turned into his pillow, teeth biting into it to stop himself from screaming. 

“There’s got to be something we can do!” Qibli hissed, he looked along the vines of herbs, desperate for something to help.

Turtle began to pace. His mind was spinning so fast, Moon couldn’t keep up. The only thing that came up frequently in his thoughts was a… stone? 

Finally picking one herb, he came to Winter. “Chew this!” He practically nearly stuffed it into the IceWing’s mouth. Winter choked a moment but did as he was told. He rumbled his displeasure at the taste - IceWings were almost pure carnivores. 

Turtle stopped pacing to sit, hunched over and clutching his horns. 

Qibli’s eyes found Moon, and she saw in his expression how bad her injuries must look. He came to her side, his warm talons brushing over her shoulders. Picking more of the pain-killer, he offered it to her. She shook her head. “Give it to Winter,”

“Move!” 

Everyone jumped, shocked that  _ Turtle,  _ of all dragons, would speak in such a way. Qibli stepped aside as the SeaWing prince came beside Winter. He reached into the pouch he always carried around his neck and pulled out what looked like an ordinary river stone, round and smooth. He pressed it to Winter’s injuries and passed it along his scales. 

Moon froze, transfixed. Where Turtle’s rock touched, Winter’s scales slowly knitted themselves together, returning to their usual white-blue colour, and lost every blemish. Winter gasped, eyes wide, his mind quickly emptying of pain. Qibli’s jaw fell wide open. Turtle ignored him as he moved from Winter to Kinkajou. He delicately held her head in one talon, and passed his stone over her head and then her chest. The cut healed itself, and her eyes lost their dazed gleam. 

Lastly, he came to Moon, and pressed his stone to her head. There was a touch of dark ice, of wrongness, of something that defied the laws of nature brushing close against her. But then, she felt something warm sweep through her flesh, and all pain receded. There was an itch along her scales as they fixed themselves, and then all the cloudiness that had fogged the edges of her mind vanished. 

**_Well,_ ** rumbled Darkstalker,  **_this changes things…_ **

“That… that’s magic,” stuttered Qibli, staring at the rock in Turtle’s talons. 

Winter slowly, shakily, pushed himself up. “Where did you get an animus-touched object?”

Turtle slowly stowed the rock into the pouch around his neck, avoiding their eyes. Moon peered into his mind as much as she could. His thoughts still seemed uninteresting and slow; she had to fight through the muck of it in order to get to what he was  _ really  _ thinking. And that was when she found it. 

“You’re an animus…” she breathed. 

Everyone held their breath.

Turtle nodded.

Qibli rushed to the entryway and looked out into the tunnel. He glanced left and right, before quickly pulling back in and sweeping a vine curtain across the opening. He spun back to the others, eyes wide. “How is this possible?!” 

Kinkajou jumped up from her bed. “How could you not tell us?!”

“No one else knows. I’ve never told anyone. Actually, can we not talk about it? It’s not really a big deal.”

“NOT A-” Winter went to shout, but Qibli almost jumped on him to hush him up. “Not a  _ big deal _ ?! You are an animus! Why keep something so important hidden? You could have served your tribe, you could have helped us win this war already!”

“Um, exactly?” Turtle shrank into his wings. 

“Why didn’t you use your magic sooner?” demanded Qibli. “You could’ve stopped that explosion -”

“I didn’t know that was going to happen! And it was too late by then, and everyone was panicking, and I didn’t want anyone to see!” He shot back with small frustration. “I’ve only ever used it for small things. Things no one will notice. You can’t get it wrong and disappoint people if no one knows you’re different.”

Moon felt that resonate within her like a bell. But she was surprised to see that it quelled Winter too, his wings drooped and his eyes became downcast. His thoughts plummeted down into a memory of an IceWing surrounded by SkyWings, and the shame that it brought him. 

Kinkajou scurried towards him, her scales turning a grey, sad blue with slick flecks of red along her tail. “But… don’t you trust us?”  _ Don’t you trust me? _

Turtle looked stricken. “Of course I do - I trust you guys more than anyone! I just… didn’t know how to tell you. And… I was afraid.”

“Tsunami said you were quick to run away with her when the Summer Palace was attacked,” Qibli said, his eyes narrowed, his mind reeling off all of Turtle’s body language. “You were discovered. That’s why you fled.”

Turtle slumped. “It was Whirlpool - my mother’s chief advisor. I went to speak to her to try to free Tsunami and her friends. I don’t know what happened. I was trying to enchant something to make me seem more convincing, I guess, and Whirlpool saw me. He died when Tsunami broke out. But I didn’t know if he’d told anyone else. I… I panicked.”

Moon couldn’t speak. Didn’t trust herself to. Qibli and Winter exchanged significant looks. 

“Please,” Turtle begged quietly. “Please don’t tell anyone - I promise, I’ll come clean to the others. I just… I didn’t want to be used - I didn’t want to hurt anyone. Ever.”

**_All the power in the universe, and he would rather sit under a rock,_ ** Darkstalker growled. The blank wall that shielded his true thoughts fractured for a moment and Moon sensed a deep, seething resentment, so strong she was taken by surprise.  **_Just like Fathom!_ **

She decided to question him on it later. Her head was clear but her legs still felt weak as she slowly crawled off her cot. Turtle watched her approach with great trepidation. Slowly, she placed her talon over his. “You’re still our friend, Turtle. Your secret is yours to tell.”

Turtle let loose a rush of air, his eyes glistening. A smile spread across his face, creasing his eyes. His mind was filled with warm currents and sunbeams through the waves. 

“Moon, you’re still hurt,” said Winter, already walking towards her. 

She glanced down at her shoulder. There was a small burn, about the size of a claw. A burning splinter must’ve hit her. Turtle reached for his pouch again, but Moon stopped him with a wing. “No, it’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”

“Here, let me.” Before she could stop him, Winter was pushing aside her wing and leaning in. 

A rattling collected in the back of his throat as he summoned his frostbreath. Moon’s stomach clenched for a second, and she remained still as stone. Winter brought his snout close to her shoulder, just an inch from her scales. He opened his mouth and gently breathed the softest trace of frost across her neck. There was a moment of slight discomfort, before the area went numb and all she could feel was the tickle of his breath. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold rippled down her spine. 

Slowly, he pulled back. Why was his face so close? When had he reached out to hold her arms in his talons? Why couldn’t she look away from his deep blue eyes? And… why was his mind so torn between something forbidden and warm, and something dark and suspicious?

“Now,” he said slowly. “You need to tell us how you knew about that explosion.”


	12. The Second Betrayal

Moon couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. 

And then, “...what?”

Winter released her, and it were as if he had been her last protection. For with his absence, the cold was allowed to sweep through Moon’s body. Her wingtips trembled. Her breath shivered in her throat. So stiff was her stomach that she believed she was turning to stone from the inside out. 

“How,” said Winter again, “did you know about the explosion?” 

They were all looking at her now. Qibli suspiciously, Kinkajou helplessly, Turtle frightened. Their thoughts churned through their minds, all focused on her, all pressing on her brain and her unable to push them into the raindrops. They were all waiting for an answer, but Moon found herself unable to say words, as if her vocal chords had been cut and her tongue removed. And the longer she remained silent, the greater her panic grew - she had to do something!

**_Come up with a lie,_ ** said Darkstalker.  **_At least two of them want to believe any kind of excuse._ **

But no lie would come from her. “I… I don’t…”

“You knew what was going to happen,” said Qibli slowly. His eyes were narrowed, his face hard like he had practised for when dealing with outsiders. But his mind was crying out, like a dragonet not wanting to believe their imaginative world was make-believe. “You were scared - you knew that explosion was coming.”

“There’s only two plausible explanations,” Winter said. “Either you orchestrated the explosion-”

Finally, Moon found her voice. “No! I swear, I didn’t-!”

“Or you know who did and are implicit in the deed.” 

“Moony…” Kinkajou slowly came forward, her voice quiet, pleading. “You didn’t really… did you?”

“No!” Moon protested. “I promise I have no idea who set that explosion. I was just trying to keep everyone safe.”

“But how did you know?” Qibli demanded. 

She knew what she needed to say, but all her fears and doubts seemed to physically manifest and wrap around her neck to strangle her. A soft gasp came from the back of the room. Everyone turned to Turtle, who had his eyes wide and pointed a claw at her. “You saw it… in the future, didn’t you?”

They all turned back to Moon. Suspicion, outrage, anger; it pressed down on her soul with a literal weight. She shrank under their gazes, hunching into her own wings, and nodded.

Winter hissed and took a step back from her. “Impossible! The NightWings have no powers!”

“We only know that... because she said so,” said Qibli quietly. And for the first time since she’d known him, the SandWing looked genuinely angry. “You told us the NightWings don’t have any powers! What else have you lied about?!”

“It’s not a lie!” Moon said. “None of the other NightWings have powers… just me…”

“What are the chances,” Winter shook his head, “that the only NightWing-”

Kinkajou coughed. “Third.”

“What are the chances that the  _ third  _ NightWing allowed into the rebellion,” he conceded with a growl, “just so happens to also be the only one to possess powers?”

“It’s true,” she pleaded, and figured that the only way to spare herself their wrath was to completely explain the mechanics of it all. “The other NightWings don’t have any powers because they haven’t been able to hatch under moonlight. That’s what grants us our powers. The volcano stopped that.”

“When I was a prisoner on the island,” Kinkajou said quietly, “all the NightWings did look  _ off _ . Sickly and thin.” 

“And you were raised in the rainforest,” said Turtle to Moon. 

"If you've lied to us for this long, how do we know you're not lying now?" Asked Qibli. He glanced sideways at Turtle and his mind whispered,  _ Maybe Turtle can enchant something to make her tell the truth…  _

"I  _ am  _ telling the truth!" Moon answered automatically. 

"How're we supposed to know?" He didn't pick up on her answering his thoughts instead of his words. "You've had this secret power for so long, and you've done nothing with it? Don't you know how helpful seeing the future could've been for the war? And you refuse to help us?"

And finally, Moon lost her temper. "I have been helping! I've done everything I can. And when I finally had a vision that could help, I acted upon it! It's not as easy as closing my eyes and knowing exactly how things are going to turn out. All I see is random, vague, important moments in time. And sometimes even that's hard to interpret."

"But today…" she continued in a more subdued voice, "I saw a vision of the War Room exploding, of the Dragons of Destiny dying… of all of you dying… and I," the horror returned and bile stung the back of her throat. "I couldn't bare it. I had to do something."

Her friends all looked at each other, with various degrees of alarm. Kinkajou turned the palest shade of green Moon had ever seen. Even though they had all been there, had witnessed the danger for themselves, it was quite another matter to be told that their death had been foretold in the stars… And only by her intervention had they been spared. 

“And while we’re at it,” she muttered, “there’s something else you all should know.”

**_Are you certain you want to do this?_ ** Asked Darkstalker gently.

_ I don’t want to lie to them anymore,  _ she replied.  _ If they’re going to hate me, then so be it. I have nothing left to lose. _

“I can read minds.”

The stunned silence was immediate and stifling. Winter was the first to react with a hiss and backing away from her as if she were contaminated with some poison. “That’s impossible!”  _ Please don’t let it be true! Is it some kind of joke? Or Icicle trying to drive me away from-  _

“I promise that your sister hasn’t put me up to this,” she said. 

Winter leapt away from her. “You really can read minds!”

“You’ve been inside our heads?” Turtle asked, horrified. “All this time?”

Despite how certain she’d felt of this decision a moment before, Moon now started to feel more wretched than ever. “Not on purpose. I tried to keep you out, to let you have your privacy. But it’s like trying to tell your ears to stop listening - sound always comes through.”

_ Sand and snakes!  _ Qibli thought.  _ How many bad things has she heard in my head? She probably thinks I’m the worst kind of dragon there is. _

“No!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never found anything bad in there. You’re one of the most considerate dragons I’ve ever met.”

Qibli clutched his head, as if he might physically shield it. “Gah! Stop doing that!”

“How could you do this?” Winter demanded. “Lie to us for all this time?”  _ I thought she was different. Father might be right about the other NightWings but I thought Moon was… _

“I wanted to tell you.” Her voice came out, thin as paper, as flimsy as her excuses. “But I was afraid that you’d hate me. That you’d tell the others to cast me out. I’ve never told anyone-”

“Well you could’ve told me!” Kinkajou leapt in front of Moon, her big eyes filled with hurt. “Aren’t we supposed to be best-friends? You should totally tell your best friends if you’re listening in on their thoughts.”

“I know, I should have. But I didn’t think-”

“This is why your father wants you so bad, isn’t it?” asked Qibli. “Sunny said your dad thought of you as a weapon. It’s because of your powers, isn’t it.”

Moon hunched further into her own wings. “Yes. But I don’t want to help him win - to be responsible for this war.”

The Jade Winglet all looked to one another. Moon didn’t need to peer into their minds to see that they all held various levels of suspicion. Qibli kept looking from her to the door. Kinkajou looked like she wanted to cry. Turtle was thoughtful. And Winter appeared as if someone had completely shut down his emotions; eyes closed, shadows stretched across his face.

With a deep sigh, she stood to await judgement. “And now you all know. I… I understand if you’re angry with me. Just please try to understand - I only did what I thought was right.”

Qibli snorted. “Seems like everyone’s got this big super special secret power. Kinkajou? You got anything to share? Winter? Any powers of melting things with your brooding stare?”

Turtle surprised Moon when he slowly made his way towards her. Gently, as if he feared some adverse reaction, he placed a talon on her shoulder. He smiled crookedly. “I get it. I’m not mad. And I won’t tell the others. Some things are just… yours.”

“Then the pair of you are fools.”

Moon recoiled from the chilling hiss that spewed out from Winter. His mind was flooded with hurt, with outrage. There was this great, splitting wrench across his consciousness, and his entire mindscape tumbled inside out. It was shocking, to see how badly he reacted to this, to witness his entire view of the world turn on its head. 

“Look at you!” he shouted. “Hiding who you really are, manipulating us into trusting you. And all the while, you’ve had abilities that could’ve helped us win this war. Good dragons have died in battles that didn’t need to happen - because you two could’ve done something about it!”

Even Qibli shot up at that. “Hey! That’s not fair!”

“I don’t want to hurt anyone!” said Turtle at the same time.

“Winter,” Moon tried to reach for him. “It’s not what it looks like.”

But he pulled himself away. “Oh really? And I’m supposed to take your word for that?” He came at her so fast, Moon couldn’t get out of his way. Nose to nose, he came as close as physically possible without touching her. In a low and quiet voice, he growled: “I don’t know who you are. But the NightWing I thought I could trust obviously never existed.”

A hole grew beneath Moon’s feet and seemed to pull out all her insides into its gaping void. Unbidden, a single tear slipped down her cheek. Faintly, she was aware of the music in Darkstalker’s head, trying to soothe her, but she couldn’t concentrate on it. Winter’s rejection cut deeper than she would’ve thought. His deep blue eyes followed that tear as it fell. Abruptly, he pulled back, jaw set. 

With a loud rattle of the spikes on his tail, Winter stormed out of the infirmary, nearly ripping the leaf curtain off the wall as he did so. They all watched him leave and stomp down the hall. Moon couldn’t seem to comprehend what had happened. It was like a string that had nailed her down to earth had been cut, and she was floating helplessly into the thin air of the tallest skies. 

**_I did try to warn you…_ ** said Darstalker.

_ Please don’t,  _ said Moon.  _ Not now.  _

Mercifully, he didn’t say anything else. Instead, continued the music that echoed through her mind. The infirmary was painfully silent, uncertain of what to do with the situation that had been left there. Moon didn’t want to be there, knowing they would leave her now and never come back. So she concentrated on Darkstalker’s music. 

“Hey, guys?” came a loud voice that made them all startle. They turned towards the still closed leaf curtain. “Can someone let me in? Me and Clay have solved the mystery!” 

It was Peril. The others looked to one another. How could they just pretend to be normal when nothing was as it had been this morning? With a shrug, Kinkajou went and pulled back the curtain as much as possible. Peril tucked her wings in as tightly as possible and carefully made her way inside. It was almost second nature for her eyes to worriedly roam the room for anything flammable, and then sit in such a way so as to take up as little space as possible. A rather admirable, if sad feat, seeing as she was perhaps one of the tallest dragons Moon had ever seen.

“Well,” she was saying with a bashful shrug. “When I say ‘ _ solved the mystery’ _ that might’ve been an exaggeration, but we definitely nearly did!”

“What’re you going on about?” asked Qibli.

“We found out what caused the explosion!” Peril burst. 

“Um, Peril?” Turtle coughed. “Maybe don’t sound so excited by that.”

“Why not?” she demanded. “I nearly managed to find out who the badguys are. Then I get to go burn their face off. That’s totally something I should be excited about!”

“What happened then?” Kinkajou asked.

“It was seeds!”

They stared at her.

Moon frowned. “Seeds? Really?” 

Peril nodded. “Yeah! But, not normal seeds, big spiky edgy seeds. They’re from these cactus fruits that grow in the mountains. If you set them on fire, they explode into a hundred sharp pieces that stab everything around it. It's really grisly!” It was almost horrifying to listen to Peril talk about a murderous plant with such glee.

“Yikes!” Kinkajou squeaked. “Plants can’t really be that horrible. Can they?”

“But where would someone get one of those… cactus things?” asked Turtle.

“There’s probably some growing on Jade Mountain itself,” said Qibli. “No one was in the War Room during the explosion, so whoever did this must’ve lit some kind of fuse in advance.”

Peril snorted. “Clay said that. Makes it REALLY frustrating because that is the opposite of narrowing it down.”

“Who would know about these things?” asked Moon. “The SkyWings?”

“Sure. Every SkyWing is taught about them - best way to avoid them. I especially know because I wasn’t allowed anywhere near them when a shipment was being brought through the palace. Everyone got all jumpy - more than usual.”

“Shipment?” Qibli echoed, wings quivering on the edge of that rush of epiphany. “If SkyWings avoid them why would there be shipments of them in the palace?”

Peril’s features squished themselves, like she didn’t know what reaction to give to that comment. Inside her head, the inferno burned a little hotter, making Moon wince. “Um, because it was a favourite tactic of Quee- I mean,  _ Scarlet’s _ . Throw in a bunch of bombs and let them leave your enemies writhing in agony - those that survive, that is.”

“So it must be one of Scarlet’s soldiers?” said Turtle. 

“Or Scarlet herself!” exclaimed Kinkajou, her wings turning red. “Glory told me that she  _ hates  _ the Dragons of Destiny! For, like, no real reason!”

“Well, they did melt her face, lose her the throne, and disrupted her entire kingdom.”

“Of course, yeah, that’s obvious. But she tried to blow up my Queen and-”

“She couldn’t have,” interrupted Qibli in a tired voice. 

“Trust me, Qibli,” Kinkajou retorted. “All the things I’ve heard about this bit-”

“No, I mean she literally couldn’t.” he said. “Scarlet would never have been able to get to the War Room. She would need to be invited in. And only the Dragons of Destiny, Moon and I can do that.”

Peril’s bright blue eyes narrowed, the light from within them seeming to make them glow. “But, then that means…”

“She’s working with someone,” Turtle finished for her. 

“Oh no,” Moon gasped. 

There was a pounding in her head as she remembered that eerie conversation, and her deliberations on it all day. She felt Darkstalker’s consciousness touch hers, envelop her, attempting to take the pressurized feeling away. But she refused; she needed to understand this. The attempted murder had come, and Moon had completely missed it and yet somehow managed to save the intended victims. 

The others were looking at her. Peril with confusion, the others with mounting suspicion. “Last night,” she said, deciding not to mince her words. “I half-dreamed a conversation, I believe it was my telepathy trying to warn me. I heard someone plotting something - something terrible.”

“Who was it?” Qibli demanded. 

“I don’t know! I’ve never heard their voices before. One was definitely in the Mountain, the other…”

Peril took a step towards Moon. “Well, what did they say?”

The NightWing struggled to remember the few lines she overheard. “Uh, they said: ‘ _ Do this for me, and I'll give you the one thing I know you want most. If not… I'll be sure to show you his corpse.’”  _

“Oh, that’s definitely Scarlet.” said Peril. “Her whole routine of offering you what you really want, only to threaten it in the same sentence. Also, can someone please explain to me why Moon says she has telepathy, because that’s kind of freaking me out but I really don’t want to go there if no one else spotted that!”

Kinkajou and Turtle looked at each other, helpless to know what to do. Qibli’s golden eyes met Moon’s. A single shaft of sunlight peaked in around one of the leaves covering the windows. It illuminated half of his face perfectly, making him appear like the warm, comforting Qibli she remembered. But the side that was cast in shadow was like a stranger to her. 

He bent his head, and brushed aside everyone to make his way towards the door. “Why don’t you explain things, Moon. I’ve enough problems now.”

“Where’re you going?” Turtle called after him. 

“To find the traitor in our midst!” 

* * *

_ Icicle’s dreams were absent. She was stuck inside a dark abyss, with no light, and no means to get out. Floating - or was she drowning? - in a blank space void of gravity and air, she inhabited nothing. Mere existence was all she knew. Mostly, she preferred this. She’d been expecting nightmares.  _

_ Within inches of victory, it had been snatched away by pure chance - her prey distracted long enough that the trap had gone off without them. Their lives mattered little to her. Though this alliance hinged on their existence, it was obvious folly for Glacier to hinge her entire battle strategy on this rebellion. The IceWings had managed just fine before, they would do so again. And if it offered her the chance to get her brother back…  _

_ She squashed the emotion that grew inside her - weakness. And just in time. Scarlet materialised in the void next to her, looking immaculate, if a little aggravated.  _

_ “Is it done?” she demanded snappily. _

_ “No. It was… an eventful day.” The darkness around them quivered and threatened to constrict around Icicle. Her brother had almost been caught up in it. Winter was such an idiot - she’d thought she’d given him enough chores to keep him busy. But that commoner SandWing always followed him everywhere and just had to help him with his nauseating cross-tribe loyalty. They’d gotten to the War-Room. Winter had almost…  _

_ A loud part of her argued that if he’d died, then so be it. He had been the one to cause this mess that she was having to clean up. If he died whilst she corrected his mistakes, then that would be counted as little more than justifiable payment. Karma. Yet another part of Icicle wanted to tell Winter about this information.  _

_ No. That couldn’t be allowed. He would just mess it up. His precious sensibilities would cloud his judgement. No, Icicle was in this alone, that much she knew for certain. All she needed was another chance. _

_ Scarlet snarled. “I’m not a patient dragon. Your time is running out.” _

_ Icicle finally met her eyes. “You sound pretty menacing for a dragon who has to make other dragons do her killing for her.”  _

_ “I’m warning you,” the SkyWing hissed, and through the smoke that billowed out from her nostrils, Icicle saw a hint of burned flesh, a mangled cheek, exposed teeth and a rolling eye. “My offer will only be available for so long. You have until the first moon of spring. A new year demands new blood, as they say. Theirs, or your brother’s.” _

_ Icicle was pretty sure no one had ever uttered that saying. And Scarlet’s theatrics were getting on her nerves. “I’ll do it. Don’t worry, they’ll be dead soon. They’re sending more RainWings out - they’ll be vulnerable.” Icicle eyed the former queen hatefully. “But know this: if you touch him, I’ll kill you too.” _

_ Scarlet merely grinned, like she relished the idea. “Good luck.” _

* * *

Morrowseer looked over all the pieces of parchment in his claws, eyes darting over every word, every number. His tail swept the sloth rug, enjoying the feel of the grey pelt against his scales. The candles were burning low - it was late. He bit his tongue to stifle a yawn. 

Eventually, he dropped the parchments onto his desk. He eyed the skinny errand dragonet who was trying very hard not to fidget with his wings. “And this is all you have to report?”

“Yes, sir,” he said hurriedly. “The bridge across the western gorge is complete.”

Finally. The gorge was filled with gusting winds that could sweep even the strongest fliers easily downstream, battering them to death against the cliffs on the way. The bridge was sturdy enough to cling to when making one’s way across. It would help them to unlock previously uncolonised western areas of the rainforest. “Very good. And how’re the new eggs?”

“Secure in the vault, sir, tended day and night. The mothers take it in shifts to watch over them.”

“And the hunting party?”

The errand boy grinned. “Successful as always.”

“Shouldn’t I be more involved in all these talks?” Morrowseer turned, having completely forgotten that Princess Greatness (or queen, technically) was sat in the corner of Morrowseer’s hut. As soon as eyes were upon her, she wilted without the fortitude of her mother to keep her up. “Not that I don’t appreciate what you’re doing, Morrowseer, but… Mother always said a Queen should have a voice of her own…”

“And you will,” he nodded. “Once you know what you’re doing.”

“But how can I learn that when you’re-”

“If you wish it, I will, of course, relinquish the regency, Your Majesty.” He bowed to her respectfully, even when his voice radiated how bored he was. “All you need do, is step up to every responsibility and they will be yours. Immediately. No help or input from me.”

Greatness’ eyes widened and she stared at the stack of papers on the desk. Her wings drooped and the fear in her was almost palpable. Morrowseer had to check himself before he shook his head. Whilst he found Greatness’ fear of failure to be rather pathetic, he still knew better than to publicly dismiss her. 

The princess relented. “Fine. But I do request that the eggs come out of the vault. It’s too stuffy and… hot down there. They need fresh air.”

“As you wish, Your Majesty,” said Morrowseer automatically. He would, of course, not do so. But Greatness didn’t need to know that yet. The princess stood and both Morrowseer and the errand dragonet bowed to her (one more deeply than the other) as she left.

“There is one last thing, sir.” said the errand when the door to the hut finally closed. His tone was hushed, his eyes nervous, like he was an old biddie attempting to avoid a scandal. “The…  _ prisoner  _ is refusing to eat again.”

Morrowseer stiffened. Something in his gut twisted uncomfortably. Duty warred with this now familiar dull ache. But as always, duty won. It took him a moment to formulate the right response. “Inform her that I’ll only come to our monthly visits if she eats.”

The errand looked a little put off, but still bowed and hurried out the door. Morrowseer waited five minutes after the dragonet had left before he moved. He sagged and sighed, rubbing his eyes. There was still much to do before he could afford the luxury of sleep and he would be up again at dawn. Too many things needed his attention. But even closing his eyes for a minute became an impossible task - his lids were so heavy, his vision unfocused. He needed fresh air.

Strutting out his door, he ignored the guards who snapped to attention outside. He’d punish them for slacking off later. Instead, he went to the well they’d dug just off from the central square of their village. Though he was hungry, food would only make him content and relaxed. Water would refresh him. 

But what would he find to greet him - a SkyWing with a horror-show for a face already there. She attempted to drink - gathering water into her lower jaw and throwing her head back to let gravity aid her in swallowing it down. Even then, a fair amount dribbled out between her teeth and through the holes in her ruined cheek. She froze when she caught him watching. Her nostrils billowed a veil of smoke about her face to hide her shame.

“Well, Scarlet?” said Morrowseer, stalking towards her and the well. “You have been our guest for three days. I expected some results by now.”

For every step he took towards her, she took one back, her eyes and teeth never leaving his direction. “There have been… complications.”

“So I would assume,” he snorted, reaching for the ladle to fish water from the well. “Complications do tend to happen. But a true leader disposes of such obstacles.”

“And I have.”

He paused, eyeing her. “You have?”

“Yes,  _ NightWing _ ,” she puffed out her chest, smirking smugly. “The rebellion is shielded, somehow. I cannot learn their location exactly. However, I know when they’re next sending out agents.”

Well, that was something he could work with. “Then we shall apprehend them-”

“No.” He almost growled at her interruption, but she had such a brazen, excited smile on her face that he decided to hear her out. “I already have a plan in motion. An informant of mine is going to find those agents and go with them. We’ll get two scavengers with one stone. The location of the rebellion  _ and  _ how they’re shielding it from us.”

Morrowseer tried very hard not to smile.


	13. Mending A Rift

“Your informant,” said Morrowseer, “he’s ready?” 

“Yes,” Scarlet rolled her eyes. “You already bullied me out of my special surprise. What more do you want?” 

“You’ll need to contact him again.”

The former queen eyed him. “Why?”

“Because there’s a few things he needs to be prepared for.”

* * *

Safe to say, Moon didn’t sleep well that night. Constant fear of dragons bursting into her cave to drag her away, incensed by her betrayal, gave her nausea inducing anxiety at best. And at worst, terrible nightmares that pounced on her the moment she drifted off, forcing her awake. She’d thought that telling her friends her secret would make her feel better. Instead, her mind was stuck on the prospect that five other dragons  _ knew.  _ If each of them only told one other, then that number would go up to ten! 

**_I don’t know how much more I can take of you worrying yourself into an apoplexy,_ ** said Darkstalker. At least he was the one thing that hadn’t changed.  **_How many times do I have to tell you, I do not foresee Tsunami or any of the others charging in and- … Oh_ ** .

Moon’s eyes shot open.  _ Oh? _

**_Well. Now that’s unexpected._ **

In an instant she was on her feet, wings half spread as if she meant to take off right through the walls.  _ What is it?! Are they coming now? What’s happening?! _

**_Glory is considering murdering you in your sleep. Safer that way. No one will know._ **

_ Really!? _

**_No._ **

She slumped back to the ground with an irritated huff.  _ That’s not funny.  _ Breathing deep, she finally tried to take his advice, and calm down. No one had come for her yet. That must mean they didn’t know. And if they did, or should there be any danger, Darkstalker would warn her.  _ I think I’ve lost them,  _ she told him quietly.  _ You might now be my only friend.  _

The music that seemed to always be inside of him swept around her mind, further lulling her to sleep.  **_If you only have one friend, I’m not such a bad one to have. Am I?_ **

By the next noon, Moon had at least gotten a few hours of actual rest. But the tension in her gut persisted. She avoided crowds, excusing herself to her students that she was feeling unwell. Even if her friends hadn’t told the Dragons of Destiny her secret yet, that didn’t mean they didn’t plan to. Moon felt as if she were constantly on the edge of a cliff, waiting with baited breath to see if the loose stone under her talons would crumble.

Part of her wanted to find her friends, to see if they’d calmed down, if they might tell her their decision. But she was too afraid to do so. It would be understandable if they wanted to avoid her completely. Even if it stung. So, she avoided the pain altogether by avoiding every place they would be. Instead, she stuck to the sort-of library. 

Over the past 18 months that the rebellion had been active, Starflight had been desperate for an assortment of scrolls for him to collect and keep. Though he was blind and couldn’t read them himself, he still loved scrolls and the knowledge they possessed. What he had right now was little more than a small collection of various history, philosophy, botanical and scientific volumes with a few works of fiction thrown in. Whilst Moon didn’t obsess over scrolls the same way that Starflight did, who believed them to be as essential to life as breathing, she did have a special love for them. She often envied Starflight’s job as a librarian, though she would never dream of taking it away from him. And she liked teaching. 

She buried her nose in old and familiar stories to try and take her mind off her problems - and failing. And at the same time, a morbid part of her thought of it as having one last embrace with a fond love before she would be exiled. So it was unsurprising to her when she was eventually interrupted. But the face that greeted her wasn’t what she was expecting. 

“Qibli?”

“I couldn’t stop thinking,” he said, “all night.”

That wasn’t hard for Moon to believe. Qibli’s mind never stopped scrambling. 

“I get it.” He continued. Before Moon could give even a slack-jawed expression, he hurried on. “After thinking it over, I can kind of understand why being inside other dragons’ heads all day every day would make you very uncomfortable about telling them about it. You must hear all kinds of nasty things.”

“Not really,” Moon heard herself say. 

Qibli frowned. “Really? Don’t you hear all the bad thoughts everyone has?”

“Yes, everyone thinks something in anger sometimes, but that doesn’t make them or their minds nasty. Usually within a second or two, they correct those thoughts. I don’t think it’s fair to judge someone based on an odd thought.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but shook his head. “Anyway. I came to help.”

Moon blinked. “Help?”

“Shhh!” he looked over his shoulder, to be sure no one else was in the library. But Moon knew there was no one else. The whole rebellion was still shaken from the events of yesterday. Mostly everyone wanted to be either in the prey centre or in the valley. Starflight was busy helping Sunny try to keep everyone calm. She and Qibli were alone. “I meant help you catch the traitor.”

“Why would I-”

“You can…” he lowered his voice to a whisper. “You can  _ read minds  _ right? All you have to do is listen in on the right person and we’ve caught them!”

That was a good idea, Moon had to admit. And she could see this opportunity to win back Qibli’s trust. She wanted to accept, but she didn’t want him to put too much faith in her abilities. “It’s not that simple,” she said. “I can’t hear every thought, just what a dragon is particularly thinking about at that moment.”

“Well, I’d say that explosion is all anyone can think about right now. So what do you say? Are you in?”

There was a tingle at the base of her skull, like a dull warning. But Moon had to do the right thing; had to prove to her friends that she could be trusted, that she wasn’t a traitor. She nodded. 

She and Qibli then made their way through the mountain. The SandWing had been right. The explosion was all anyone could think about. Everyone had their own friendship groups that they stuck to for comfort. Amongst each other, they whispered their own little conspiracies about how the explosion happened and who set it. Most of the Mountain was accounted for, aside from two scouting groups. Which made it a rather large task to listen in on every single brain. To help, Qibli narrowed it down to most likely candidates and they worked from there.

Two SkyWings were first on their list, having recently joined the rebellion. The pair mostly kept to themselves, not having integrated with the rest of the rebellion all that well. Moon found their minds to be rather difficult to manage. They were filled with aggression and grievances with everyone else. But after a time, they started to wonder about the explosion as well, in terms that suggested they had no idea what caused it, let alone who did it. 

Next, they tested a SandWing that had once been employed by Burn’s army and refused to join either of the other sisters’ forces. This particular SandWing had always had a peculiar dislike for RainWings, Glory in particular, and didn’t like being told what to do by her. It was his reverence of Tsunami’s combat skill and his wish to kill Blister that kept him with the rebellion. Qibli talked to him as a distraction whilst Moon listened in on the SandWing’s thoughts. But it quickly became clear that this one wasn’t responsible for the explosion either. 

They then sought out former members of the Talons of Peace, who had always had a sort-of rivalry with the Dragons of Destiny. There were a few of them now amongst the Rebellion. After the NightWings had sided with Blister, the Talons of Peace had become divided. Some of them wanted to follow those who they believed created the prophecy, that this was fate’s design. Others saw this for what it was, and so left. But once again these dragons had no clue about who had set the explosion. 

In all, the only thing she and Qibli had managed to accomplish was to convince everyone they were weird. 

Now that they’d gone through all their prime suspects, they now were left with the insurmountable task of interviewing everyone in the mountain. But how? This was the question that she and Qibli pondered as they left the prey centre that evening. 

Moon watched Qibli. He’d tried to keep things professional between them, but sometimes he would make an almost natural slip of the tongue and try to make a joke. Only to remember a moment later why he was mad at her, and continue his stoic silence. Trying to find some way of conversation, she said, “Do they all hate me?”

Sharp as ever, Qibli didn’t need her to clarify what she meant. “I don’t know. Turtle definitely doesn’t, you two were practically two peas in a pod. Kinkajou is mad, but I don’t think she can hold a grudge for long. And I saw Peril this morning. She’s more mad at Turtle then she is at you.”

That, Moon could understand. Turtle was the one Peril was closest to out of their winglet, had been the first one to fully accept her. Yet all this time he’d been keeping a secret from her. An especially big secret, one that could have helped her with her fire-scales condition, that he’d chosen to keep to himself. She agreed that it was Turtle’s choice on whether or not to tell others about his power; but she still sympathised with Peril’s point of view. 

“What about Winter?” she dared to ask.

_ Where is he, anyway?  _ Qibli thought to himself worriedly. “I don’t know.”

“I really didn’t want to hurt anyone,” she said. “Please believe me on that.”

“I do believe you. Can’t imagine what it’s like, listening to everyone all the time, even in a silent room.”

“It can be hard,” she admitted. “I’ve had to work hard on trying to block out crowds, or when there’s a panic. Otherwise it’s just constant distractions and headaches. If I didn’t get at least a little control… I think I would’ve gone mad by now.”

**_Was that little compliment for me?_ ** Darkstalker asked.

The corner of her lip twitched.  _ You know I am grateful for what you’ve done. _

**_You can’t see it, but I’m blushing like a princess in one of your trashy romantic fiction scrolls._ **

_ They aren’t trashy! _

**_Just you wait. One of these days I am going to show you real literature._ **

_ Moon’s distracted again,  _ came Qibli’s thoughts, drawing her back to the present.  _ Is she listening to someone’s thoughts right now? Would she tell me even if she was?  _

She didn’t want to snap, so said, “I’ve kind of mastered drowning others out, but it’s very hard to not listen when your thoughts are about me. It makes them extra-loud.”

He looked away, a little shame-faced. “Sorry. I just need a little time to wrap my head around all this.”

Moon stopped, ducking into the arch of a cave entrance so that she and Qibli might be out of the way should anyone come down this hall. She reached out and brushed her wing along his. “I know. And I appreciate you giving me this chance.”

“I just don’t know how you could’ve kept it to yourself for so long,” instead of sounding agitated, as she would have expected, he instead seemed rather awed. “I mean, you can hear what dragons are thinking, and you never let on? Think about it. Look at dragons like Barren,” his mind thought of the grizzled SandWing they’d spoken to earlier. “He thinks taking orders from a RainWing is beneath him, and he’s not above using violence against such insults. So if he ever thought about hurting Glory, you could do something about it.”

Moon drew back, slightly alarmed at the implication. “I won’t spy on someone’s thoughts and then report them for something they haven’t even done. We must police dragons by what they say and do, not by what they think.”

“But what you think  _ is  _ what you say and do.”

“No. Even the lowliest peasant may find freedom in the safety of his thoughts. I don’t want to take away even that.”

Qibli was quiet. His mind spun back to memories of his time in the Scorpion Den, of being Thorn’s right claw. There was always the threat of spies or infiltrators of some sort, and Qibli had been the only one quick enough to catch them at their own game. He’d had to resort to spotting them based on observations and knowing how everyone thought. A hint of shame coloured his thoughts as he remembered some of the measures he’d taken to ensure the safety of his fellow Outclaws.

Moon brushed her tail along his. “You’re not a bad dragon, Qibli. You’re smart, you’re funny and you always have good intentions. You couldn’t be better than this.”

At least that got him to smile. 

It wasn’t long after that Moon excused herself. Listening in on so many minds in one day, purposefully trying to pry through their thoughts to find specific information, was exhausting. She needed a little alone time. Darkstalker always told her that it was good to take time to remember herself after being inside others for so long. 

The tunnel was dark except for the small light at the end where it opened up to the air outside. Perhaps Moon’s focus was so caught on getting outside that she didn’t see the RainWing in front of her pop out of camouflage until she almost stepped on her. 

“Ah! Kinkajou!” Moon scrambled to avoid her. 

The RainWing immediately launched into a fast-paced speech before Moon could say anything else. “Look. I don’t know why you felt the need to hide everything from me, because we are supposed to be friends. But Turtle says you just didn’t know how - which I think is a little silly, because COME ON, this is ME, we’re talking about. I’m the most chilled dragon ever to reveal stuff to. Unless you keep it from me for, like, our entire friendship. ANYWAY! I just wanted to say that I’m okay.”

“You’re okay?” Moon echoed, unable to form any other response. 

“Yes. You can be a mindreading, future-seeing NightWing, it’s not like you can help that. And so long as you promise to not look into my head on purpose…” she narrowed her eyes intensely. 

“I promise!”

The look of murder vanished and was replaced with a radiant smile. “Then we’ve got no problem!” She threw her arms and wings around Moon in a quick, fierce hug. “Glad that’s over. I couldn’t stand being mad at my best friend. Anyway, sorry, gotta go! Got to get everything ready for tomorrow - don’t stay up too late!”

Moon watched Kinkajou race off, speechless. She might’ve worried that the little dragon was trying to avoid her by running away so fast, but her mind was full of songs and no ill will. After a moment of bewilderment, Moon allowed herself to smile and laugh. After a day of tension, a piece of it seemed to evaporate. Oh, Kinkajou. She truly was a treasure. 

Carrying on up the tunnel and out into the open air, Moon flung herself into the purple and pink sky, and headed towards the lake. The sun was just beginning to set, turning the water into a thousand shards of twinkling glass. The air beneath her wings held the slightest hint of warmth. A promise of spring. It was her hatchingday tomorrow. With everything going on, it was likely no one would remember. Which was fine with Moon. Hatchingdays were always a touchy subject. But was that what Kinkajou had meant about getting everything ready? She hoped not. 

A distant sound on the wind carried to her ears. Moon’s head swivelled towards the sound on her left. There. On the bank by the lake, two white and blue shapes that glowed in the low sunlight. Icicle and Winter. As Moon drew closer, their agitated shouts could be heard clear as the whistle of birds. 

“How could you fail at something so simple?!” Icicle was raging at her brother. 

Winter’s posture was stiff, held back. He was angry but desperate to keep it together. “I said I would replace it!” 

“That’s not the point! I don’t know what’s gotten into you today, but you will refocus yourself or I  _ will  _ have the Queen find someone competent enough to take your place!” With one last angry snarl, Icicle spun and leapt into the air. She came by so fast past Moon, she had to dive out of the way to avoid being sliced by the princess’ many spikes. In the next moment, she was gone.

Moon looked from the princess’ back, down to Winter still by the lake shore. Green eyes met deep blue. A shiver ran the length of Moon’s wingspan; it was hard to read the expression in those eyes, and she was too far up to read what was in his mind. Before she could possibly decipher such a stare, Winter turned away. But he remained sat by the shore. Stomach doing flips, Moon decided to be a little brave for once, and descended. 

**_Moon, didn’t we just learn this lesson?_ ** Darkstalker asked, exasperated.  **_The little idiot is - as his name would suggest - an idiot and not worth your time._ **

_ I can’t just leave things as they are.  _

Sand billowed up beneath her feet as she gently landed on the shore. Winter sat still with his attention steadfastly on the opposite side of the lake. Moon sat five feet away from him, watching, waiting for him to say something. His continued silence only made the tension thicker around them, and Moon’s brief courage promptly began to wither. 

Well, it appeared that she would have to be the one to break the ice. “Winter-”

“What makes you think you have any right to talk to me after what you’ve done?” He spat curtly. 

Moon pressed her talons into the sand, the grains scratching and sliding along her scales until she felt the wet, clumpy sand beneath. “I wanted to make sure you were alright-”

He snorted. “You mean you wanted to be certain I hadn’t spilled your secret.”

“If I wanted to do that, I would’ve come earlier,” she retorted. Winter’s wings stiffened, and Moon forced herself to calm down. She couldn’t afford to allow her anxiety to make her lash out. “You were pretty upset.”

“For a dragon who goes on and on about friendship, you broke one of the first rules. You lacked honesty.” He turned his head to finally regard her, deep blue eyes glaring as brightly as the sun silhouetted behind him. “What you’ve done is a gross violation of trust. This power allows you to see into others and see things that should be private. It’s… It’s…  _ argh! _ ” 

“I can't help the way I hatched.”

“It's not about that.” But then his mind countered,  _ Then what is it about? Why do I feel like I have to hold a grudge? Stop! She’s probably listening in right now! _

Her talons clenched into the wet sand. It hurt to hear him try to restrain his own mind for fear of what she might hear. She wasn’t trying to, but it was difficult to keep some of his thoughts out. They just seeped into her, no matter how many times she tried to put them into the raindrops.

“I know I can’t regain your trust, Winter,” she said at last. She tried to lean around him, to catch his eye, but he refused to look at her. “You put your faith in me, and I didn’t respect that. Didn’t respect you. Ask me anything, and I’ll tell you.”

**_Anything?_ ** Darkstalker groaned. She ignored him.

Winter’s brows furrowed, his mind whirling with possibilities. Slowly, he stood and fully turned to face her. Moon remained sat in the sand, to be as non-threatening as possible, even when he leaned into her until their snouts almost touched. “Does your power really come from the moons?”

She nodded. “I don’t know the exact science of it. But yes. If laid and hatched under full moons, NightWing eggs will be granted either telepathy or precognition.” 

“Did you ever once use what you heard in our heads to further your own gain?”

“That’s a trick question,” Moon could’ve cheered for how she managed to make her voice sound so even. “No. I never purposefully went into your brain to find sensitive information to manipulate you. But if your thoughts were too loud for me to ignore, sometimes I would hear something was bothering you and do my best to help. It’s how my students develop so fast. I can see inside their heads to know how each one struggles individually, and I help them.”

For some reason, that explanation made Winter’s eyes and voice soften. “How often do you see the future?”

“Not as often as you’d think. Mostly it comes in nightmares, or warnings of imminent danger.”

He glanced to the side, tail swishing through the shallows of the water, clearly uncomfortable. “Is it really… is it as bad as…?”

“Sometimes,” she nodded. “How can you differentiate between a nightmare praying on your worst fears, and a warning from fate itself that says your worst fears will come true?” 

“Why are you really the only one of your tribe that has these powers?”

“The NightWings were dying on that volcano. Every generation brought fewer eggs than the one before. The mothers were often too weak, and their eggs died before they could be laid. Other times the toxic fumes would kill the eggs before they hatched. My mother had already lost eggs before. She defied tribe law to have me in secret. Maybe it's some kind of justice from the Great Dragon themselves. My mother got her wish for a living child. But as punishment, I was cursed with these powers.”

**_You aren't cursed._ **

“You aren't cursed.” Winter murmured simultaneously with Darkstalker. Moon was astonished - she hadn’t thought Winter would defend her in any capacity. The IceWing once again looked out to the sparkling lake, his thoughts tearing and reforming themselves over and over.  _ How much must her mother have loved her, before she was even born, to defy the tribe like that… Would my-  _

“Hey!”

Both Moon and Winter jumped apart as great golden veined wings swooped down from above. Moon flinched back before the stinging heat even reached her scales. Her mind was assaulted with the blaze that protected the SkyWing’s thoughts. The dragoness landed, her back feet at the very tip of the water’s edge. Where she touched, all moisture evaporated from both sand and small drifts of water with a loud hiss. 

“Peril?”

“Moon!” The firescales dragon leapt towards her, coming as close as she physically could without directly touching the NightWing. “I need your head!”

Moon recoiled. “…excuse me?”

“Well, I don’t mean I need  _ just  _ your head - the rest of you is good enough, I guess. I just need you to get inside someone else’s head for me.”

Usually Moon was understanding of Peril’s bluntness, but this time, it struck a nerve. “Peril, my powers are not a parlour trick,” she reproached. “I’m not going to snoop in Clay’s head to tell you-” 

Peril leapt back, feet wading into the water and bringing it to boil. “Wait, you could do that? Do you know if he likes me? Not that I’m worried, because I’m not!” she shook her head. “No, later! Now, come! He’s at the border!”

Giving herself room, Peril jumped into the sky, her massive wings blasting out a wave of heat with their downward thrust. Moon and Winter exchanged a look. What on earth was this about? Peril wasn’t known for being a master of social interactions (though Moon could’ve said she hadn’t been much better when she first joined the Dragons of Destiny); but whatever this was really had her scrambled. They took off after her. 

The three flew across the sky, heading south. Peril took the lead, her large wings allowing her to keep ahead ease. The flames in her head parted enough for Moon to get the impression she was frustrated with having to slow her pace a fraction for the sake of her friends. Even so, Winter and Moon made sure to give her enough room so that she wouldn’t accidentally brush against them even slightly.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Moon asked. She already knew Winter’s thoughts on her abilities. And when she’d told Peril yesterday, the SkyWing had sat in silence for all of thirty seconds before declaring:  _ “Okay, so I’m not the only one with a freaky power. Good to know. Not concerning what so ever. I have to go now. Bye!”  _

Peril glanced in Moon’s direction. “I wouldn’t have asked if I wasn’t - sure, I mean.”

Winter took longer to respond, his mind weighing options back and forth, the sheets of glittering ice closing in on him to reflect in a dizzying display. “We have to be sure that this newcomer is safe for the rebellion. Better to be certain of this.”

Despite his acceptance, Moon tried not to read too much into it. 

“When did this dragon appear?” Winter asked Peril.

“I was making my rounds earlier, and saw something just beyond the border.” Being arguably the most dangerous dragon in the rebellion, Peril did most of the patrols around the borders of Jade Mountain. Should enemies be lying in wait, they wouldn’t be able to attack her, her firescales offering the ultimate protection. “I went to look, and there was this SkyWing. He said he followed the RainWing scouts… because he wanted to find me.”

Moon frowned. “You?” 

“He…” Peril grimaced. “He says he’s my father.”

Winter and Moon exchanged another look. Well, this certainly just got a little more interesting. They followed Peril right to the tip of the southern border, the mountainous terrain giving way to rolling hills. The grass waved and flowed as one like the creases on a strip of silk flapping in the breeze. The trio knew how to spot the border, for during the first three days after the magical shield was created, the Dragons of Destiny had painstakingly marked where it lay. Certain things that would go unnoticed by most dragons, unless one was looking for it. In some places it was noticeable through landmarks, like the circle of stones at the forest edge on the north-eastern side. In others, there was a slight furrow in the ground, as if the body of an impossibly long serpent had been given a shallow grave.

A boulder jutted out of the ground and rose above the grassy sea. Peril carefully landed upon it, coiling her tail around her feet to be sure she didn’t set the grass fields on fire. As Winter and Moon landed on either side of her in the long grass, the NightWing noted to herself that the blades were too damp to start a wildfire as Peril feared. The most that might happen would be she scorched an immediate ring around herself. But Moon had noticed that Peril often felt guilty even when she set any vegetation alight by accident. Her entire life was restricted around the need to always be careful. 

Movement caught Moon’s attention, her eyes snapping onto it immediately. Just on the other side of the border, basking in the last light of the setting sun, lay a large SkyWing. His big orange wings flattened the grass around him, allowing Moon to catch sight of his muscular gold-orange body. There were no visible scars on him anywhere, his scales shiny and kept in great condition. On his claws he wore heavy-looking gold rings, and golden thread wound around his horns. Draped across his chest lay a large amulet, a ruby the size of a dragon’s palm nestled in a frame of gold suspended on a sturdy gold chain. This dragon was obviously very wealthy, and not at all subtle about it.

“You’re sleeping?” Peril called incredulously down to the SkyWing. “I only left you for, like, ten minutes!”

“Closer to fifteen, actually,” said the SkyWing. He yawned widely, and leisurely stretched out each leg, rolling onto his belly to roll his spine. Winter muttered under his breath, offended at this dragon’s lazy manner. The SkyWing opened dark amber eyes and stood. His gaze found Moon immediately. “Ah, this must be the friend you told me about.”

“Moon, Freeze-face,” said Peril, ignoring Winter’s little growl. “This is Sore. I know, I think it’s a stupid name too.” 

The SkyWing stomped a foot. “That’s not-!”

“I think it’s meant to be  _ ‘Soar’ _ ,” Winter drawled with a roll of his eyes. “As in ‘to soar through the sky’. Has that fire burned away your last brain-cells as well?” 

“Finally!” grinned Soar. “Someone gets it!”

“But yes, it is a stupid name.” 

Whilst they had all bickered, Moon had zoned out, focusing her mind on attempting to read Soar’s thoughts. Her stomach did a little flip when all she could hear from Soar’s brain was a series of numbers. He thought in an eerily similarly way to her father. It had been so long since she’d seen her father, but she would always remember that shield of his, frustrating and frightening in equal measure. Was it coincidence? Moon had encountered minds that needed to catalogue things the moment they walked into a room, could this be similar? 

Moon subconsciously stepped forward, eyes narrowing as she looked over the Drake on the other side of the shield. How was she supposed to read him? “You say you’re Peril’s father?” 

“Yes. Kestrel and I were paired to mate, but I was sent away with the army not long after. I didn't even know there had been an egg, let alone a daughter.” Soar smiled yet he spoke of Peril’s mother and his ignorance of her existence rather nonchalantly. 

“Then how did you find out about her?” Winter asked. 

“Well, it was at Kestrel's trial that she was revealed to be her daughter, and it was that which started Scarlet's downfall. The whole Kingdom was talking about it. Once I heard, I tried to find you.”

“You were part of the SkyWing army?” Winter didn’t bother to hide his derision as he looked Soar up and down. “There’s not a single scar on you.”

“I was a scout.”

“And you just left? Just like that?”

“Wouldn’t any father when they hear they have a long lost daughter?”

An image of a dragon flashed in Winter’s mind. The dragon Moon suspected was his father. He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut those walls of ice down on the thought. 

Peril seemed to notice the pause in Winter’s interrogation and so asked, “And how did you know I was here?”

“I came across some RainWings scouting to the east,” said Soar with a slight smirk. “They complained about a dragon who could set things alight just by touching them.” 

“And you want to join the rebellion?” Winter quirked a brow. 

“Peril is my daughter. We're the only family either of us have left.”

That seemed to hit a spot in Peril, her expression going slack. For one of the first times ever, she appeared uncertain of herself. She turned to the NightWing at her side, bright blue eyes begging for help. “Moon?” 

What was she to say? Concentrating as hard as she could, Moon tried to narrow her mind in order to hear only Soar’s thoughts. He was thinking about colours now, naming every colour he could see, in the grass, Winter’s scales, Peril’s eyes, Moon’s wings, and then spelling out each colour. Without a means to get around this, Moon could only beat herself against this wall of thought, which did nothing. How was she supposed to make this decision? Without the ability to read Soar, especially when the rebellion was already dealing with one hidden traitor, could she afford to let him in? But he did seem like he really wanted to know Peril, who’d had no family all her life. Could Moon look her in the eye and tell her “no”? 

_ Darkstalker,  _ she called out. He’d been oddly quiet throughout this exchange. Odd.  _ I can't read him very well… what should I do?  _

**_I…_ ** His voice was small, faint, like an echo through a deep cave.  **_Moon, it's… hard…_ **

It took all of Moon’s willpower not to visibly react, even when her heart was suddenly pounding.  _ Darkstalker?! _

**_Getting too far… I'm trying…_ **

She must be reaching the end of his mental range. That meant he was trapped somewhere on the other side of Jade Mountain. Had he been shouting out, trying to reach her?  _ Don't strain yourself. _

His voice came like a whisper, tingling along the shell of her ear.  **_Be careful… with him…_ **

It was only then, as the last echo of his voice was absorbed into her mind, that Moon realised she had an audience. Soar, Peril and Winter were all staring at her, waiting for her verdict, and she’d been staring into space. She shifted her wings, embarrassed. “Sorry. Thought I smelled something.”

Peril eyed her, and whispered so loudly it was wonder why she even bothered to whisper. “Well? What do you think? Should we let him in?”

“Considering you've led him right to us,” Winter snorted, “I -”

The SkyWing puffed a giant, black smoke ring right in his face, making him choke. She smirked. “Wasn't asking you.” 

Moon flicked the end of her tail, nostrils flaring, her indicion making her agitated. Soar’s mind continued to puzzle her - she couldn’t guarantee he was safe. But what if she were in Peril’s place, and it was her mother on the other side of that barrier? The memory of Secretkeeper, how much she missed her, the uncertainty of her mother’s fate, made Moon’s heart ache painfully. There was no question. If it were Secretkeeper, Moon wouldn’t hesitate to let her in, to feel that love only a parent could give. Peril had never had that, a mother to comfort her when she had a nightmare, lullabies to soothe her to sleep, that voice to tell her  _ ‘I’m here, I’ve got you, you’re safe’.  _

Peril deserved that. 

“Very well,” she said. “Soar, on behalf of the rebellion, I invite you into Jade Mountain.”

Wings spread in excitement, Soar grinned and stretched out his talon to the barrier. When his claws met no resistance, he stepped right through, bigger than the three younger adults before him. Peril leant forward, like she wanted to jump down to him, but reminded herself she couldn’t. Moon paid attention to Soar’s mind, to see if this change of circumstances made his constant listings slip. But it didn’t. 

Soar shrugged his wings with a sheepish smile at Peril. “I would hug you but…”

“Doesn't matter,” she muttered, turning her head away in a manner that was obvious to everyone else that it  _ did  _ matter to her. 

“No. Because we're together now.” Soar caught her attention with that, and when he smiled, she slowly smiled back. Spreading his wings, Soar walked around Moon towards Jade Mountain, but kept his focus on Peril. “Well, I guess you need to take me to your leaders, then? Let's talk on the way. I want to hear everything you've been up to.”

Peril followed him, her smile slowly growing, her face seeming to lose that severeness that life had ingrained in her. Instead, she looked almost like a dragonet, eager to follow her father devotedly. Her wings streaked a dash of light as she leapt into the darkening sky, catching up with her father and leading the way. Moon watched them go, and felt herself relax upon seeing Peril so happy.

“She's lucky,” Winter’s voice came out right next to her. When had he come so close? “Not many parents would be so willing to accept a child with her past, let alone her abilities.” He must’ve noticed Moon staring at him, and frowned. “What? I can be sincere if I want.”

Moon chuckled. Her green eyes returned to the shrinking forms of the SkyWings, only visible now as Peril’s fiery body seemed to produce its own ever-so-slight illumination. “You're right. She is. I'm not completely sure about Soar… but for Peril's sake… I hope he is everything she needs.”

“Despite his tacky fashion sense, he seems genuine in his wish to know her.”

She studied Winter, at the way he watched father and daughter fly away. There was something soft in his gaze, and Moon just had to ask, “What's your father like?”

“Nothing like that.” He nodded in Soar’s direction, his voice unexpectedly quiet. Seeming to remember himself, Winter shook his shoulders, straightening his neck, that IceWing formality back in place. “Prince Narwhal is an exceptional IceWing, and a close advisor to Queen Glacier. He is always quick to  _ remind _ his children to live up to those expectations.”

“But he still loves you, doesn’t he?” 

At her question, Winter was silent. His mind thought of an IceWing, young, handsome, strong, always smiling. He was surrounded by SkyWings, no way out, as Winter fled for his life. Then she saw two IceWings, one she recognised now Narwhal, and a female, likely Winter’s mother. Winter watched them from around the corner of a doorway, as his mother and father stood in their room in the dead of night, heads bowed and pressed together, tears running down their faces. 

_ My fault…  _ Winter’s mind whispered. His eyes flickered up to Moon’s, and realised that she had likely seen it all.

But he didn’t need her to comment. So instead, she buried her pity, and bumped his shoulder playfully with her own. “At least your father isn't an evil mastermind. And a  _ NightWing _ to boot, can you imagine?”

It worked. Winter huffed a laugh, his frame visibly relaxing. It was good to see him laugh, Moon realised. He spent so long trying to live up to the expectations of his tribe, that when alone, or just the two of them like now, it was like an entirely different dragon came out. A dragon who wanted to be here, a dragon who could smile and be a friend. After what happened yesterday, Moon had feared she would never see that dragon again.

“Sorry for interrupting you and Icicle earlier,” she said. “Why was she so angry with you?” 

“Oh,” Winter sighed, exasperated. “It’s my own fault. She’s sour because her Skyfire bracelet is broken.”

* * *

The voices slowly drifted in and out, rousing Moon from her slumber. 

_ … This will happen, with or without your cooperation!  _ Came the hissing voice that sent shivers down Moon’s spine.

_ How long do I have? _

_ Until the next sunset.  _ A part of Moon’s brain recognised the urgency of the situation, and it brought her back to full awareness to hear the voice clearly. _ Just one of them, think you can manage that? Kill one of them by the end of tomorrow… if not, then I shall have to take matters into my own talons. _

Moon strained her mind to hear the response, to find the traitor, to know what was happening. If she could find the culprit that set the explosion, then all their troubles would be over! But try as she might, the connection had already been severed, and all Moon could hear was the stray thoughts of dragons in the midst of dreams. 

_ Is it really Scarlet?  _ She asked, knowing he was always with her. _ Darkstalker, was that her? _

She heard him hum thoughtfully.  **_From examining the memories of those who have encountered her, yes, I believe so._ ** __

_ Where is she?  _

**_Far from here,_ ** he said evasively. So he still hadn’t figured out a way to help her. Not without getting her killed. 

Moon decided not to focus on such morbid possibilities.  _ Then how did I hear her thoughts?  _

**_She is using magic to slip into the dreams of someone here._ ** __

_ What kind of magic? _

**_A Dreamvisitor, I suspect. It is -_ **

_ I know what it is. Starflight found one in the volcano, that’s how he tried to warn everyone about the NightWing attack. But it was lost in the evacuation. How do  _ you  _ know about them? _

**_I created them._ ** He stated the fact as if it should be completely obvious, and not sending Moon’s mind reeling with questions.  **_They were meant as a gift. One for me, one for my love, Clearsight, and the last for… my ‘friend’, Fathom. It was during the war. I didn’t know where I would be sent to fight, nor where my friends would end up. The dreamvisitors were meant to link us together always. So that no matter how far apart we were, we could always be together in dreams._ ** __

_ That’s… really very sweet of you.  _ And it really was. From Darkstalker’s cocky and sometimes cheeky personality, she hadn’t expected such romantics from him. _ Unfortunately, Scarlet now has one.  _

With that kind of power, Scarlet could do all kinds of damage. She could snoop into the dreaming minds of any dragon in the rebellion and pluck from them any information she wanted. Moon didn’t know if the magical barrier would prevent that, but evidently it didn’t stop Scarlet from making contact, at least. This meant that the entire rebellion was in more danger than they’d previously thought. And right now, Moon was the only one who knew. 

That gave her an advantage, she realised. Not even Scarlet knew Moon was onto her. What if Moon went out in search of her, used her ability to read minds to hear her thoughts and find her. By the Great Dragon, Moon knew that she’d never forget Scarlet’s chilling snake-like voice. If she could take back the dreamvisitor, it would eliminate a threat and grant the rebellion an advantage. No more having to send scouts and spies back and forth, Sunny and Glory could contact them no matter where they were. 

Despite the fact that she’d just made up with her friends (she hoped), wouldn’t it also be safer to leave before anyone else discovered the truth?

**_Moon. Don’t._ ** Said Darkstalker, voice low, quiet. 

_ What if this is what my power is meant for? What if I could go and find Scarlet...? _

**_Please, Moon, don’t. For me._ **

The smallness of his voice, like he was on the brink, made Moon come out of her wild imaginings and focus her full attention on him.  _ What? _

**_I know it sounds selfish but… If you leave, the future goes dark. And even on the slim chance you survive, I won’t be with you to help you. I won’t be able to reach you. I’ll…_ ** He couldn’t finish.

_ Darkstalker? _

**_I’m afraid I’ll go mad. With no one to talk to, no way to know you’re safe…_ **

Moon imagined reaching out and draping her wing across his back, holding him close. Her head attempted to mimic his beautiful music, like he always did for her when he tried to calm her.  _ It’s alright. I’m not going anywhere. I promise.  _

He didn’t say anything. But after a moment, Moon felt a tingle across the scales on her tail, like someone had coiled around her. And then Darkstalker joined her in the music, leading her in a simple and uncomplicated duet.


	14. Happy Hatchday, Moon

“WAKE UP, MOONY!”

The shout in her ear made Moon scream, bolting up out of her nest and flinging herself away. Uncoordinated, her legs tangled underneath her, and she fell to the ground with a heavy  _ thud.  _ Groaning, Moon tried to put her brain back in order as her heart calmed down. She wasn’t in danger, it was just the adrenaline. Groggily, she opened her eyes. 

Her friends were standing over her. Kinkajou clung to the nearest perch in the wall so she could dangle upside down right into Moon’s face. Qibli was conventionally closest to Moon, and biting his lip to smother a laugh. Behind him was Turtle, smiling sweetly. And in the entryway to her cave, safely away from everyone else, was Peril.

“What…” Moon tried, pulling out one foreleg so that she might push herself up. “What are you all doing here?” Her body-clock told her it wasn’t noon yet. Why had they woken her up so early? 

“Because, sleepy-snout, it’s your hatching day!” Kinkajou cheered. Both her scales and her thoughts were a little too yellow for Moon to handle when first waking up. “We can’t let you celebrate on your own.”

Sitting up stiffly, Moon coiled her tail around her feet, trying not to let Kinkajou see how unenthusiastic she was. “You didn’t have to…”

“Nonsense!” Kinkajou gasped as if the very idea was sacrilege. “This is your big day, and you are going to enjoy this.”

“I didn’t think RainWings usually kept track of hatchingdays.”

“Well, we  _ didn’t.  _ But since being around all you other tribes, and learning about hatchingdays and all the parties we can have for different things - I think that’s TOTALLY something RainWings should do from now on!”

Despite herself, Moon smiled. 

“Turning nine, eh?” said Qibli. “Big number!”

Peril scoffed. “Pfft, well it would be, if you followed formalities.”

If all things had been normal, this would have been a big day for Moon, certainly. Nine was when a dragon of most tribes were considered to be adults that had come into their own. All apprenticeships would have been completed, a dragon could apply for jobs in more important roles (if they were qualified enough or well-connected for the job). It was the age where no one could look down on a dragon any more. It wasn’t the age of maturity; that had come much earlier. Most dragonets matured into adults between the ages of six and seven, and could then choose a mate and reproduce. In fact, Moon knew of a couple of RainWings who had gone through their maturation, paired up and had since laid an egg, all within the time frame of the rebellion. 

But these were not normal times. Tribes that would usually wait until their citizens were nine until they could advance within the army, were being promoted much sooner in order to fill the roles of their superiors who had died or were needed elsewhere. Because of such upheaval, Moon hadn’t really given much thought to what this day might have meant. She was an adult, and had been since she’d first met the dragonets of destiny. It didn’t mean that much to her. 

However, she couldn’t let on to Kinkajou how unsure she was about all this. The little RainWing had obviously done so much to prepare all this for Moon’s sake, and it would be cruel to put down all that hard work. So she just smiled politely, nodded, and accepted the banana cake Kinkajou had ‘forced’ Turtle to prepare for them all. 

**_Hatchingdays are a rather touchy subject for you,_** said Darkstalker. Moon was a little surprised to hear from him. She had guessed that this was the time when he slept as well. **_You didn’t celebrate last year either. Why?_**

Kinkajou was singing ‘Happy Hatch-Day to You!’, and Moon made sure to give absolutely no indication of the bitter sweet emotions this subject roused.  _ I suppose I never really got to celebrate them before… It was just a day of training wasted in my father’s eyes. I learned quickly never to expect much. I only broke that rule once. _

**_What happened?_ **

_ It was my fourth hatching day. I hadn’t seen my mother in almost two years. I had this plan, that if I tried my hardest, did everything my father asked and more, maybe I could earn some kind of reward. So I asked if I could see her again.  _

‘Begged’ was more appropriate. Morrowseer had been stone faced as always, leaving Moon to guess at his true feelings, to slowly devolve into panic. She’d tried very hard not to cry, because that usually had the opposite effect on her father. When he’d left, she’d been so sure she’d failed. But then, on her hatchingday, he’d granted her a miracle. 

_ He let me see my mother,  _ Moon said, smiling at the memory of her mother rushing through the treeline to sweep her daughter up in her wings. They’d laughed and cried and held each other for what seemed like hours. They’d talked and talked, never once completely letting go. All too soon, Morrowseer had announced that dawn was approaching, and so; Secretkeeper needed to return to the island before anyone noticed she was gone. Moon had clung to her mother, desperate to not be left behind again. It was with great reluctance that Secretkeeper had allowed Morrowseer to drag her away, pressing into her daughter’s mind all the love and ever hopeful devotion in her heart. It was a promise: we will see each other again. And even now, Moon hung on to that wish. 

Her friends were handing her presents. Necklaces made from colourful riverbed pebbles, or a crown of flowers. Peril had recently taken on a part time job in the forge working alongside a MudWing blacksmith. With her firescales she was naturally able to mold the metal however she pleased. She gifted Moon a small knife. Moon accepted all of their gifts with overflowing thanks, even as her mind was far away.  _ It was the best hatchingday of my life.  _

**_Your father was a monster to treat you so cruelly._ ** Darkstalker said with more ferocity than Moon thought warranted the situation.  **_My father also wasn’t one for Hatchingdays._ **

Despite her own dislike of her personal hatchingday, Moon didn’t think it was fair to let others miss out.  _ When is your hatchingday? _

**_Midsummer._ **

_ Then Kinkajou and I will throw you the biggest party to celebrate. It’s not every day you turn over 2000.  _

**_Actually, I only count my hatchingdays on brightest nights. When you look at it that way, I'm only twenty years old._ **

Moon sniggered. Thankfully, Qibli had just made one of his usual witty remarks so no one noticed. But it was only then that she became aware of something. “Hey, where's Winter?”

Everyone turned to Qibli. He shrugged his wings. “What? I definitely told him we'd be here. I… um, might not have specified a time… ah, snakes and stones, I'm sorry, Moon. I'm an idiot.” 

“That's okay,” Kinkajou might have sounded sweet, had there not been a devious look on her face. “Turtle and I need to go get some more food for this party anyway. We'll find him.”

Turtle smiled bashfully before trotting along after Kinkajou, his mind filled with rainbows and sunshine. Once they left, Qibli looked to Moon and wiggled his eyebrows, which made her laugh again. It was good to know she wasn’t the only one who noticed. 

Taking this moment of pause in the festivities, Moon excused herself for some fresh air. There was a ledge leading out of the mountain just around the corner, she wouldn’t be very far. Qibli and Peril let her go. With more room to move in the cave, Peril could finally get a piece of Banana cake. Subtly with her tail, Moon slid the plate in front of Peril’s claws as she passed. 

Outside, spring had definitely arrived. Damp hung in the air, and dew coated every surface. It wasn’t pleasant weather. Wind whipped at Moon’s face, rustling the trees of the forest down the mountainside. The sky was overcast, with swollen black clouds spreading across the horizon. A storm was on its way. But the fresh air helped to clear away the lingering cobwebs of sleep in Moon’s mind, and allowed her to compose herself. 

She loved her friends dearly. They didn’t have to do all this, and despite her discomfort, their effort to celebrate a day for her was touching. But what’s more, it was new year's day. 5015 AS. Maybe it was also time for new beginnings. Her friends knew her secret yet not two days later, they’d forgiven her. If they could give her hope such as this, why couldn’t she take the leap and tell Sunny and the others? No more hiding? 

Heat met her mind before it met her scales. Moon turned to look back down the tunnel, and then scooched over to make room for Peril as the SkyWing joined her on the ledge. They were silent for a time, though Moon knew Peril was itching to say something. The NightWing remained quiet, letting her have her time. 

“You’re a daughter, right?” asked Peril.

Moon knew the question would be forcefully put, but she hadn’t expected that. “Yeeesss, Peril? I would say so.”

“I mean, you’ve got parents. You know how this is supposed to work.”

“What’s wrong?” Moon asked, concerned at the frustration and near panic that was able to break through the flames surrounding Peril’s mind. “Did you and Soar get into a fight?”

The SkyWing shook her head. “No. It’s just confusing. I don’t like ‘confusing’.”

“What happened?”

“That’s the problem,  _ nothing’s  _ happened. He’s… great.” Her voice lost its usual bravado. Her claw traced blackened circles into the stone ground. “He wants to know about me, join me in my work; he’s nice. And it makes me unsure. With Scarlet it was simple. When she was mad, I did things to make her not mad, and when she was happy, I knew it was because of something I did to make her happy. With Soar, I haven’t done anything, I just… exist.”

Moon smiled. She wanted to reach out and hug her friend. “That’s love, Peril. Scarlet didn’t love you, she just enjoyed what you could do.”

“Clay said the same thing.” those eerie blue eyes turned downcast. They glistened, and Moon watched in fascination as the moment the tears hit Peril’s scales, the evaporated in a small puff of steam. “I only knew Kestrel for a day… I don’t want to make the same mistake with Soar.”

It didn’t feel right to not offer Peril any kind of comfort in times like this, even if touching her would be a deadly mistake. A rock protruded from the edge of their perch, just big enough for two talons. Moon put hers to one side of the rock, and waited. Peril watched her warily, as if Moon had gone mad. Then, hesitantly, as if she had no idea what she was doing but would do it anyway to try and fit in, Peril placed her talon on the other side of the rock. The heat instantly surrounded Moon where her claws came dangerously close to touching Peril’s at the top. 

It took the SkyWing a moment, but she seemed to understand what this meant. She smiled, and Moon smiled back. And, even more fascinating, Moon could feel the flames in Peril’s mind grow calmer, allowing her to see just a little clearer inside. She chose not to, even if the temptation was strong. 

When they pulled back, Moon said, “I would’ve thought you’d be with Soar right now. You didn’t have to leave him behind to come to this party.”

“He’s good at keeping himself busy.” At Moon’s look, Peril shrugged. “I keep losing him. I’ll turn my back for five seconds and then he’s off exploring. And the questions! So many questions. Makes me want to burn my own ears off just to get some sleep.”

Moon quirked a smile. It wasn’t often Peril made jokes that actually made sense and weren’t terribly morbid. To hear Peril talk about her father made the ball of anxiety Moon hadn’t realised she was carrying dissipate. Her decision had turned out well. She opened her mouth, perhaps to offer some advice. 

But then, Darkstalker suddenly erupted in her head.  **_Moon! Don’t do it!_ **

For a fraction of a second, she wondered what he meant. But then, she heard it. There was a voice in her head, whose thoughts made Moon’s blood run cold. 

_ Don’t have much time. Need to kill them now. The blind one. That’ll be the easiest target. Have to hurry - don’t have time!  _

The voice from the dream-visits with Scarlet. It was back, it was here, and so close. In all the commotion of her birthday surprise, Moon had almost forgotten about what she had heard last night. The traitor had until sunset to kill one of the Dragons of Destiny, and it seemed like they had taken the bait. They were going after Starflight. 

**_Don’t!_ **

“I have to go!” was all she gave as explanation to Peril as she turned and ran into the mountain. She had to get to Starflight, had to warn him, protect him. She didn’t know how she was going to do that, but she had to try. There was no time to go looking for the other Dragons of Destiny. 

The voice kept up with her. They must be running almost parallel through the mountain towards the library. As Moon passed an intersecting tunnel, she felt a blast of cold along her thoughts as the thoughts then said:  _ Don’t talk to them, there’s no time. I must get the NightWing, while they’re all in the prey centre. I might even get the stunted SandWing too before anyone notices. Winter won’t like it. But he’ll understand once this is over. I must do this. For our family.  _

Moon almost tripped over her own feet in shock. Icicle. The traitor was Icicle.

All the pieces began to fall into place. Icicle’s thoughts had always previously been shielded by her Skyfire bracelet. But then it broke that day by the lake, and it was right after that Moon had started to hear the conversations between Scarlet and the traitor. Moon had not interacted much with Icicle, and having never heard her thoughts before, she hadn’t recognised her.

**_Moon, stop!_ ** Darkstalker’s voice reverberated through her skull, and her legs almost obeyed. **_I can’t let you go after her. Icicle will kill you._ ** __

_ I can’t let her kill Starflight and the others!  _

**_Then send someone else-_ **

_ That might take too long.  _ She thought about the other day. She’d tried to warn them of the bomb and everyone had taken too long to respond, trying to figure things out rationally. Starflight didn’t have that kind of time.  _ I have to do something now.  _

There was a great shift in his mind, a sense of building pressure. Moon had no idea why, but she had the distinct impression that Darkstalker, in his urgent concern, was trying to physically force his way out of his underground prison. Their minds blended for a fraction of a second, and Moon’s vision turned dark and grey. Rock pressed in all around them, making them panic with sudden claustrophobia. Pain sliced underneath their talons as they scrambled against the earth, attempting to dig their way out but to no avail. There was a strain on their back as they tried to push and lift several tons of earth, but there was no give. Their prison was unyielding, eternally confining.

Moon was shoved back into her own head as Darkstalker snarled.  **_Oh, Stardust and moon-vomit!_ **

The effort to keep her birthday breakfast down in her stomach was much more than Moon would’ve thought. Quite by accident, her and Darkstalker’s mind had melded into one. She had experienced his prison as he did, and it was terrible. But what was more sickening, was that Darkstalker was so worried he was desperately fighting a futile battle to get out, to help her. 

Which meant he wasn’t joking when he said Icicle might kill her. This really was a life or death situation. Could she do this…? But then, could she look anyone in the eye again if she let Icicle kill Starflight or any of the others? 

_ Winter’s going to be devastated, _ she thought with a slice of pity. And then, she picked up her pace. There was no choice. 

Moon continued on her run through the mountain. Unfortunately, it was near enough lunchtime, so the tunnels were starting to fill with dragons as they moved from their quarters or separate duties to the prey centre. A couple of RainWings walked out in front of her from another entryway. They saw her coming, squealed and threw themselves aside to avoid being trampled. 

A flash of sandy yellow and icy blue to the left. Warm and cold thoughts intertwined rolled over her. Winter and Qibli. Qibli must’ve left and found Winter before Kinkajou. The pair must’ve noticed her coming. The SandWing’s ear twitched and he turned to her direction.

He smiled and waved a wing. “Hey, Moon! Look who I found!” 

Winter and Icicle might not have the best sibling relationship, but Moon knew that it would hurt Winter deeply to see his sister as a traitor. And a smaller part of her whispered sinisterly, would he side with Icicle? IceWings were hyper-focused on duty. If Icicle ordered him to, for the good of their family, would he join her? 

But someone needed to be warned of the danger. And what if Darkstalker was right, and she was running straight to her death?

“I’m sorry!” she yelled as she skidded to avoid colliding with them. “I’ve got to go! Find Tsunami! Tell her to go to the library!” 

She was away again before she had a chance to read their reactions in their minds. Up a curving incline, around a tight bend. The library was just ahead. The chill of Icicle’s thoughts lured Moon closer - she hadn’t managed to get ahead of her but she could at least try to stop her. 

Moon was running so fast she couldn’t stop her momentum in time to enter the library in a controlled manner. She crashed into the cave-mouth, trapping her wing painfully against her side. With the pain and her hysteria, a shrill sound burst out of her throat and formed into words. “Starflight, get down!” 

Icicle, ready to pounce, froze and spun at the alarm. Starflight, sat by a table and sorting through his scrolls by touch, froze. Of course he wouldn’t immediately move, since he’d lost his sight, it was always his first response. Icicle’s mind was alive with questions about Moon’s presence, but she ignored them in favour of leaping into action. Moon went to try and stop her but wasn’t fast enough. 

The IceWing tackled Starflight, shoving him to the ground in such a rough manner that Moon feared she’d break him! Out of instinct, Starflight kicked and clawed wildly, but Icicle was a trained and accomplished soldier. She had him pinned in less than two seconds, a back foot on his wing and wrenching his body away from it to stress the joint. Her serrated claws dug in his arms and neck. With a quiet rattle, she summoned her frost breath into the back of her throat, a warning, right beside his ear. 

Both Starflight and Moon froze. What were they supposed to do now? 

“Leave, NightWing,” hissed Icicle. “This doesn’t concern you.”

Moon clenched her talons into the ground to try and hide how badly she was shaking. “I won’t let you kill him.”

“Kill me?!” Starflight shrieked. He struggled, bucking to try and loosen Icicle’s grip. The IceWing whipped her long tail, the spikes at the end sliced deep through his thigh. Starflight cried out.

The blood spurred Moon to move. She rushed forward, to try to do  _ something,  _ but Icicle jerked herself back, dragging Starflight with her. “Take another step, and I’ll add some frostbite scars to match his burns.”

“Icicle, think about what you’re doing,” said Moon, remaining where she was. “If you go through with this, you’ll jeopardize Queen Glacier’s alliance.”

“Glory and Tsunami won’t forgive-” Starflight’s words were cut off as Icicle’s talons wrapped around his throat and squeezed. 

She scoffed. “Am I supposed to care about an army of silly RainWings?”

The situation was getting more out of Moon’s control. She had to try and get through to Icicle, at least enough to lessen her grip! “No! B-But you believe a true IceWing puts their duty first. The Dragons of Destiny will make sure Blaze never gets the SandWing throne if you kill one of them. All of your Queen’s hard work, everything your tribe has sacrificed - will be for nothing.”

Indecision marred Icicle’s expression as she processed those words. Her claws relaxed on Starflight’s throat just enough for him to gulp air. Once he got his breath back, he croaked: “Stand down. And we’ll forget this.”

The princess grit her teeth. “I don’t have a choice-!”

“Whatever Scarlet promised you,” Moon capitalised on the opening. “It isn’t worth it!” 

But that was the wrong choice of words. Icicle’s eyes blazed with outrage. “Isn’t  _ worth  _ it? How would you know-” She froze, focusing on Moon as if truly seeing her for the first time. “How  _ do  _ you know all this?! Conniving NightWing, I should have known never to be complacent around your kind!”

“I know Queen Scarlet’s been visiting you in your dreams. She wants you to kill the Dragons of Destiny before sunset.”

Stunned silence.  _ It’s not possible…  _

“Icicle, whatever she’s promised you, it will be a lie.”

“And I’m supposed to trust you? It was your tribe that started all this mess!” Her gaze flickered around the room momentarily, and as it did, Moon heard in her mind:  _ That’s it, the window. I can slice his throat and be out of the window- _

Before she could think better of it, Moon dashed in front of the window, spreading her wings to block the escape route. Icicle hissed and backed up away from her. For a moment, Moon thought she’d attack, her knees wobbling. But Icicle kept her shield close and dug her claws in. Starflight whimpered, and Moon couldn’t stand it. “Don’t hurt him!”

“You are letting me leave,” Icicle demanded, “or I kill him right now!” And then in her mind:  _ That’s it. Just a little closer. One, two -  _

Seeing the plan coming, Moon only barely had time to dodge as Icicle opened her mouth and unleashed her frostbreath. The NightWing dove towards the centre table, pouncing on one end to upend it and hold it like a shield. Icicle’s frostbreath hit the table with such force, Moon feared it would splinter. The air turned cold and Moon’s fingers quickly went numb. It was difficult to stay alert for what was coming, yet keep on top of Icicle’s thoughts to know her plan of attack. Not to mention the way Moon’s heart was pounding out of her chest was - 

There was a yell, and Moon flinched as something came flying past her hiding spot. It was Starflight! He hit the wall behind her, his head smacking back onto the stone with a horrible crack. Moon’s stomach clenched with nausea. Starflight’s body slid down to the ground in a limp heap. He didn’t move. Moon reached out for him, scared to find -

Her table was ripped out of her fingers. Icicle hefted it up and threw it aside. Moon’s shield crashed into the wall, large, jagged pieces flying out in all directions. The IceWing reared above her, jaws wide and talons outstretched. Moon tried to kick her away, scrambling back, but she couldn’t find purchase. 

**_MOON!_ ** Darkstalker roared through her brain.

Abruptly, Icicle shrieked and stumbled back, clutching her head. Moon stared in disbelief. The princess was dazed. Her father’s battle training shouted out from her memory, and Moon took the opportunity. She struck with her back legs, hitting Icicle squarely in the chest and launching her backwards. Icicle stumbled back, hitting into a bookcase and going down with it. 

Scrabbling to regain her footing, Moon waited, breathing laboured, to see if Icicle would come right back at her. Nothing. Spinning, Moon hurried over to Starflight. Her talons shook as she checked him over, trying to find a pulse and failing. The terror of feeling that blank nothingness of death in his mind nearly made Moon heave. But she had to know, had to be sure -

A flutter in his head. A haze of consciousness barely stirred in his mind. He was out cold, but he was alive.

Relief made Moon teary eyed.  _ Thank the Great Dragon! _

**_Moon,_ ** came Darkstalker’s voice in alarm.  **_She’s coming for your left flank!_ **

She turned just in time to see Icicle sprinting across the library towards her. Moon screamed and dove out of the way. Serrated claws grazed Moon’s tail, making her wince. As she landed, her ears pricked at that now familiar chilling rattle of an IceWing summoning its frost. Moon’s own throat constricted as heat swam to her call. She twisted back to Icicle and let loose her fire.

Fire met ice. Icicle’s frost instantly evaporated before it had a chance to leave her maw. The steam emitted from the blast clogged in the princess’ mouth, and she choked. Swinging her tail, Moon tried to batter the princess back, keeping her away from Star-

Those cold talons caught Moon’s tail and pulled her in close. Moon tried to fight her, but Icicle was too strong, and her talons sank into Moon’s flesh with ease to get a good grip. The NightWing clawed at Icicle’s chest, kicked at her stomach, but though she inflicted damage, causing streaks of blue blood, her opponent would not be deterred. A cold grip closed around Moon’s throat and squeezed. 

She tried to swallow air, but it was gone! Her claws tried to tear at the grip squeezing the life out of her. Lungs burned; the more she moved, the more she needed the air. Pressure built in Moon’s brain, her heartbeat so loud in her ears she almost could hear Darkstalker shouting her name. Darkness was creeping in…

“Moon?!” 

The voice took both dragonesses by surprise. Icicle looked up, grip slackening just enough for Moon to suck in air. She tried to twist her head to look to the tunnel. Who had come for her? 

Qibli. He stood tall, wings and chest puffed out with horror at the sight before him. His golden-brown eyes looked from Moon to Icicle, before they narrowed. Moon had never seen him look so furious before. And then, a moment later, Winter came running to join him. He stared onto the scene with shock. 

And then he marched towards his sister, teeth bared and blue eyes seeming to glow with righteous fury. Qibli was right behind him, tail raised threateningly. And Winter shouted: “What in Pyrrhia is going on here?!”


	15. Family Matters

“Icicle!” Winter barked. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Leave, brother,” said Icicle, her gaze jumping between Winter and Qibli. Though she no longer squeezed, she kept her claws wrapped around Moon’s throat. “This doesn’t concern you.”

“Oh,” Qibli scoffed. “So we’re supposed to just  _ unsee  _ you strangling Moon?”

Winter’s gaze was dark. “Let her go, Icicle. Now.”

“Not another step, brother!” Icicle snapped her teeth, and dug her claws into Moon’s neck. The NightWing hissed, feeling the small  _ pop, pop, pop  _ of her scales breaking to the sharp talons. “This is between me and her.”

Moon turned her head enough to catch Qibli’s eyes. Icicle was distracted enough that she didn’t notice Moon point her wing towards the crumpled black form half hidden behind spilled scrolls and broken pieces of table. Qibli followed her movement, and his eyes widened when he saw him. 

“Starflight!” he yelled. He moved toward - 

“I said not another step!” Icicle shouted. She lifted Moon slightly only to slam her back down, making her cry out. Qibli and Winter froze. The corner of Icicle’s mouth twitched into a half smile. “I know how much you both like this one. Don’t want me to break her do you? Or, rather, you don’t want me to break her  _ more _ .”

“Get… him!” Moon choked out. “She’ll… kill…”

Winter looked between his sister and Starflight. “Icicle, is… is this  _ your  _ doing?!”

She did not even attempt to deny it. “If you won’t leave, you can at least make yourself useful.” She gestured with her tail towards Starflight’s unconscious body, meaning for Winter to finish the job. “Or you could go find Sunny and kill her. She should be easy enough for you to handle.”

“What are you talking about?” he demanded. “Why would I do that?”

“For our family!” 

“Since when did our family order us to murder our allies?!” And then Moon heard Winter's thoughts, speaking directly to her.  _ Help me keep her distracted, Moon.  _

She was so shocked to hear someone other than Darkstalker address her in her mind that it took Moon half a second to respond. Another whisper of a thought, and she caught sight of Qibli moving slowly, bit by bit, to flank Icicle whilst Winter provided a distraction. Now she understood. Qibli had the uncanny ability to go unnoticed when he wanted, a habit left over from his days on the streets of the Scorpion Den. It made her heart beat precariously with hope.

“Icicle,” Moon said. “Scarlet is the enemy - she’ll betray you.”

“Scarlet?" Winter didn't need to fake his alarm. "Why is she talking about Scarlet? Icicle, what have you done?!”

_ He’s a weak fool.  _ His sister thought. She curled her lip, lifting her nose in the air haughtily. "I have arranged a better alliance."

"With Queen  _ Scarlet?!  _ Are you out of your mind?!"

"Mother always said you weren’t as strong or as smart as Hailstorm." Winter flinched back from the cutting remark. Icicle's eyes darted to the side. "I see you edging closer, SandWing! Take another step and I rip out her throat."

For emphasis, she lifted one talon from encircling Moon's neck and pressed her serrated claws against her windpipe. Qibli's eyes widened, and he froze. He and Winter exchanged a frantic glance. 

“Try it,” Qibli hissed, tail raised, “and that’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

“I know you’re fast, street-rat,” Icicle sneered. “But are you fast enough to stop me in time?”

The pair of them reluctantly stepped back, helpless defeat in their eyes. They were at a stalemate.

_Darkstalker,_ Moon called out desperately _, what do I do? You helped me before, didn’t you? That was you when Icicle’s brain hurt? Winter and Qibli can’t do anything while I’m her prisoner!_

**_I can only do so when her mind is distracted or unfocused._ ** Came his reply, miserable and distressed.  **_Moon, please, you have to let me out! She’s going to kill you unless I stop her!_ **

_ How-? _

“Give me the librarian,” Icicle’s words dragged Moon’s attention back to the present. “Once I’m free and not followed, I’ll release him.”

“She’s lying!” Moon said immediately. “She’ll kill him the first chance she gets-!” her words were cut off as Icicle choked her with one talon and pressed her claws in with the other.

“Icicle, don’t!” Winter cried, rushing for them.

Qibli threw his wings around him, trying to hold him back. “Winter-!”

“What are  _ you  _ going to do?” Icicle demanded, relenting her attack to berate her brother. “Fight me off? You never won when we fought in the hatchery! Don’t bother trying now. And for what? A couple of runaway NightWings? Don’t you remember what they did to our tribe? What they did to Hailstorm?”

_ The NightWings killed him,  _ said Winter’s mind, his body stilled.  _ All of them. All of Queen Scarlet’s IceWing prisoners.  _

Moon saw the memory play out in his brain, the source of all his self loathing and anger. An older brother, the only one in the family that Winter knew truly loved him. Memories of him were surrounded by feelings of pride and awe. But they’d left the Ice Kingdom, alone, and had been caught by SkyWings. Hailstorm had surrendered in return for Winter going free. Winter had wanted to rescue him but had been too young and inexperienced. And then the news of his death had arrived… 

“The NightWings came out of the sky,” Icicle said, and for the first time her voice sounded hoarse from an emotion other than anger. “They killed every last IceWing prisoner in Scarlet’s arena. Whilst they were still bound and chained - unable to fight back! Remember? And do you remember why? To make Scarlet free _that one!”_ she jabbed her tail towards Starflight. “And do you remember who gave the order?” She glared down at Moon. “ _Her_ father!”

_ Another one of his horrible crimes, _ Moon thought mournfully.

The IceWing prince was silent for a moment. “I...know…”

“What?!” Qibli whirled on him. “Winter, you can’t possibly be -”

“Yes!” Icicle nodded, further relaxing her grip on Moon to eagerly goad her brother. “We lost family - we lost comrades! And we’re supposed to forget it? Don’t we deserve retribution?”

“Starflight isn't to blame!” Moon cried. “He’s the kind of dragon who will stop the killings, Winter. He’s good inside, just like you are!”

“Good? Would you rather be good or strong?”

Winter stared at his sister. 

And then spun, and smashed his tail spikes over her face!

Icicle screamed and reeled away, talons automatically going to her eyes, blue blood spurting from her nose. Moon sucked in a great breath as she was released. Talons grabbed hold of her under her arms and pulled her away from the homicidal princess. Warm scales brushed her back as Qibli helped her to stand.

Winter was advancing on Icicle, driving her further back. “Starflight and Moon didn’t kill Hailstorm! Queen Scarlet did! She’s the one who took him prisoner! How can you work with her? How can you do anything she says?”

With a roar, Icicle threw herself at her brother. They tumbled over one another, a blur of white and blue, of spikes and claws, wrestling and snarling. Icicle came out on top, her feet pinning Winter’s wings and her talons reaching for him. Winter held her head back with an arm whilst trying to bite her with his own teeth. 

Qibli rushed in to help, Moonwatcher behind him. Icicle saw them coming. She whipped her tail into Qibli, clubbing him in the face and sending him down to the ground. Moon dodged around the princess’ wings, and leapt onto her back. This turned out to be a mistake. Icicle’s many spikes and spines stuck into Moon, giving her a thousand small cuts on her soft underbelly. She tried to reach around to grab Icicle’s head, but with a savage yowl, the IceWing turned and threw Moon off. 

Rolling across the floor, Moon barely had the sense to get her feet under her so that she could stand - Icicle would not hesitate to rip out her throat if she caught her again. She turned and blew a jet of fire. Icicle ducked underneath it and went to bite Moon’s arm. But she kicked her back, further aggravating the wound on her snout that Winter had inflicted upon her. Something seemed to catch Icicle’s eye and she leapt aside a split second before Qibli’s tail thrust into the spot where she had been. He was up! Even if bleeding from a cut on one brow. Winter was also getting to his feet, and leaping for them.

Icicle thrust her talons into Qibli’s shoulder and threw him into Winter’s path. The two collided and tangled. With the pair of them struggling, Icicle took her opportunity and opened her mouth for her frost breath. Moon refused to let her. She leapt in the air enough to beat her wings around Icicle’s head, kicking and scratching at her face as she did so. The princess tried to back up, and when Moon would not relent, she thrust her head forward, ramming her stone-cold brow and horns into Moon’s sternum.

Air burst from Moon’s lungs and she fell, winded. Two sets of talons caught her, steadied her. It took a panic-inducing moment to remember how to breathe. When she came to her senses, Icicle stood several feet away, panting, and Moon read in her mind the fatal mistake all three of them had made. She was between them and Starflight.

“I won’t be stopped now!” she cried raggedly. “I refuse!”

She turned and ran towards Starflight. Moon cried out and tried to jump up-

“Wouldn’t do that if I were you…” came a voice from the air. Icicle stopped, looking for the threat. She bumped into solid air right above Starflight’s prone form. A second later, a face appeared, bright orange and red streaked with black. Kinkajou opened her mouth wide with a flash of fangs. “BOO!”

Icicle shrieked, reared and stumbled back from the terrifying face. Her footing became precarious on scrolls that had fallen from their shelves, the bindings of them having come undone. Before Moon’s eyes, the bindings tangled themselves around Icicle’s ankles, tripping her up. She fell, and as she hit the ground her talons and wings became more tangled in the ropes and debris that littered the floor. Though she struggled at first, believing to be able to shake it off, when her limbs would not move, Icicle began to thrash wildly like a fish in a net.

“What?! Impossible!” she raged. 

Moon couldn’t believe their luck. Which was exactly why she looked to the door, where she saw a pudgy green SeaWing, crouched low, one talon pressed to the floor, muttering something under his breath. Grateful for his and Kinkajou’s sudden appearance, Moon ran over to him and threw her wings around him. “Turtle!”

“How did you two find us?” asked Winter.

“Well,” huffed Kinkajou as she let go of the stalactite she had been coiled around. She quickly went to check on Starflight. “You let everyone see you running towards adventure - which you didn’t invite  _ us  _ to!”

Icicle attempted to cut her bindings with her teeth. But before she could try, Qibli pressed his venomous barb against her throat. The IceWing went still, glaring dagger at her captor. Qibli met her stare without flinching. “It’s over.”

The others came to gather around her. Upon seeing Winter, Icicle growled. “Idiot! You’ve ruined everything!”

“It seems to me like you’re the one who’s done that.” he retorted.

“Our brother is alive, you fool!”

Silence. Moon could feel Winter’s entire mind go blank.

Seeing their reaction, Icicle smirked. “Scarlet told me. She kept the most important prisoners in a secret, separate prison.”

Winter spun to Moon, eyes fearful and desperate. Moon tried to search Icicle’s mind, but couldn’t find anything to suggest she was lying. She nodded, and Winter had to grab hold of the nearest wall to support himself. “Hailstorm… is  _ alive?!” _

“Well,” Qibli whistled. “That makes things a little more complicated.”

* * *

Tsunami paced the length of her bedroom, which had somehow become the new meeting place for the Dragons of Destiny since the war room exploded. How she had agreed to that, she couldn’t recall, but still, they needed a place to talk in privacy, and no one ever dared disturb her when she was in here. 

They’d been talking for half an hour, though Starflight had yet to make an appearance. Strange. He was usually very punctual, Tsunami thought, even if it aggravated her at times. Should she send one of her soldiers to look for him? Or should she say,  _ Glory’s  _ soldiers. They mostly belonged to the RainWing tribe, but Tsunami had been the one to train them. They felt like hers. 

Stood off to the side, the SeaWing twirled her spear in her talons lazily. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the letters piled on her desk (more like a wooden box she had converted into a chest). The letters were smuggled notes and short messages, mostly from her sister, Anemone, but one was from her mother. They felt too personal to be left out in the open, so she hurriedly stuffed them away.

“Do we have any idea yet about how the explosion started?” Sunny was asking.

Clay shrugged. “Peril and I found the flame-cactus-of-death -”

“Just to be clear,” Glory groaned, “we’re  _ not  _ going to keep calling it that.”

“But no. We still don’t know who set it. I’m doing my best to keep everyone calm - turns out SkyWings are a lot like MudWings! Give them some food and they’re happy.”

Sunny smiled. “I knew you would find a way, Clay.” She turned to Glory. “I just finished briefing the head rangers. They’re rounding up their scouts as we speak.”

Tsunami twirled her spear again. It didn’t seem right, doing all this just to save face. She wanted to be out there,  _ doing  _ something! Not the odd jobs to make her feel better about herself. But the SeaWing also knew that it would do her no good to go jumping headfirst into situations without knowing what was ahead. She’d learned that lesson in the Kingdom of the Sea. Caution and subtlety also made for a good warrior. 

That was why Tsunami had been in charge of interrogations. No one even knew she was doing it, aside from those she questioned. She was on the hunt for the traitor, using all the ferocity that she would when leading troops into battle, to catch the one that threatened everything that she and her friends were building. For the past two nights, she’d had very little sleep, too busy questioning anyone that might know about the explosion. Moonwatcher was at the top of her list, but Tsunami wanted more information before she came at her. 

A cough distracted Tsunami from her thoughts. She glanced over, to see the others staring at her, Glory looking particularly unamused. “I said, what about Moonwatcher?” 

“Turtle won’t talk to me,” she said. “I know he’s hiding something, but he just says that Moon caught the scent of the fuse or something. I want to believe him but…”

She loved her brother, truly she did; but they were exact opposites and it baffled her. Tsunami was boisterous and loud and upfront, whereas Turtle was quiet and mellow and secretive. For the past two years they’d built on the bond they’d started in the Kingdom of the Sea. Tsunami had only known her sister Anemone for a few days, and her youngest sister, Auklet, for a few hours. She missed them, but they were far away and under the protection of their mother. Turtle only had her, and she wanted to be there for him. So his sudden wish to hide whatever he’d discovered stung. She understood that he wanted to protect his friend - she’d do the same if it were any of the other Dragons of Destiny. And deep down, Tsunami knew that he wanted to tell her, but was waiting. For what, she didn’t know. The only thing she could do was trust him. 

“Did you talk to your father, Sunny?” Clay asked.

She nodded. “Yes. He says the shield is still up, as he hasn’t dismissed it yet.”

“Maybe we should ask him to cast a spell that can tell us the identity of the traitor,” Tsunami suggested. It was one of the rare times that Tsunami secretly agreed with the pompous iceberg that was Princess Icicle - if they had magic at their disposal, why not use it? 

Sunny looked stricken at such a proposal. “But… what about his soul…?”

“I’m sorry, Sunny,” said Glory, brushing her tail. “But we also need to think of the rebellion. I have all my RainWings here to protect. I can’t let them lose this home too.”

Sunny bowed her head, green eyes downcast. She sighed, and nodded.

Talonsteps at the entryway. Tsunami gripped her spear a little tighter out of instinct. They all turned as one and saw the dazzlingly pink form of Jambu stood on the threshold to Tsunami’s cave. Whilst he still possessed that same dull-eyed look as always, Tsunami knew from experience that he was anything like the stereotypes of RainWings. He always tried his hardest, whether that be in rescue missions or scouting or sun-time.

“Ah. Jambu,” Glory greeted her brother, “just when I need you. Can you go and find Moon for me, please? We need her to grant Stonemover permission for a spell.”

“Um, yeah, that might have to wait…” he said slowly. Tsunami gave him her full attention now, her webbed spines standing on edge. “Qibli and the sparkly cold one told me to come get you.”

“Prince Winter.” Glory corrected. “Why?”

“They said there’s some trouble in the library. Apparently you all need to come quick.”

* * *

“Hailstorm is alive?” Winter pressed. “You’re sure?”

Icicle set her jaw. “It was the deal. If I had succeeded in killing the Prophecy Dragons for Queen Scarlet, she would have told me where to find him!”

They all stood around her, trying to gauge whether or not she was telling the truth. Moon couldn’t sense any lies in her mind, but it was hard to tell when she could only read her thoughts as they appeared. If she were more powerful, maybe she could pluck the memories out of her brain the way Darkstalker could. She met Qibli’s eyes first, as he was the best at reading dragons. He shrugged his wings, but stayed where he was, pressing his barb against Icicle’s throat to threaten her from trying anything. Moon then looked to Kinkajou and Turtle, but the RainWing was too busy trying to look intimidating in order to notice Moon’s look, and Turtle was a little ways away, wringing his talons anxiously.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Winter asked in anguish.

“Because you’re worthless!” his sister raged, pressing against her bonds and straining her head up to him as high as she dared without pricking herself on Qibli’s tail. “And because I didn’t want to waste time arguing with your sensitive moral sensibilities.”

A lasso of rope tangled around her snout and pulled tight. Qibli lifted his tail away to focus on tying her mouth shut, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. 

Winter stomped away from Icicle in a flurry of blue-white wings and rattling spines. He was breathing heavily, and his mind was being brushed by a wall of ice, built with the bricks of self loathing and the belief that every word his sister spoke was true. Moon wouldn’t stand for it. She followed him gingerly, wanting to help but not wanting to offend. Slowly, she laid her wing across his large back.

“She means she didn’t want to be talked out of it,” she told him gently. “And she knew you would try, and you might even have succeeded, because you’re  _ not  _ worthless.” Winter slowly turned his head towards her, his blue eyes wide. Moon smiled. “You’re smart and brave and capable of caring about other dragons.”

For a second, he stood still, staring at her. Then, with a tiny curve of his lips, he closed his eyes and pressed his head to hers. It was only a brief contact, little more than a brush of cold scales against her cheek, but Moon still felt flustered!

“Not to seem rude,” Qibli’s voice called. They turned around. “But what do we do now?”

Winter drew himself up. “I have to find my brother. He could be out there, at Scarlet’s mercy-!”

“I agree.” said Moon.

The others stared at her. “You do?” asked Turtle.

She studied Icicle’s bound and gagged form. “Scarlet gave Icicle an ultimatum. She had to kill the Dragons of Destiny before sunset, otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?” Qibli asked.

“I’m not sure. Something’s coming and maybe Hailstorm is to do with it. I don’t know.”

“But  _ how  _ would we find him?” Winter demanded.

“Scarlet talked to her in her dreams. If we make her sleep…?” Moon locked eyes with Turtle. She didn’t want to ask this of him, not with the threat to his soul, but they had no choice. If he did not want to do so, that was fine. But either way, it would be stupid to say it out loud and reveal his secret in front of Icicle.

Luckily for her, he understood her and chose to help. He stood behind Icicle, out of her field of vision. Plucking a discarded fragment of table, he muttered something intelligible under his breath, and tapped Icicle’s shoulder. Her eyes rolled, lids heavy. With a groan, she slumped to the floor, mind going blank. The rise and fall of her sides confirmed her slumber.

Kinkajou brushed Turtle’s wing with hers. “How’re you feeling?” 

He tried to smile, even if it came off a little strained. “Just a chill.”

“If Scarlet’s been talking to her in her dreams,” Qibli thought aloud, “that must mean she’s using a Dreamvisitor, right?” At everyone giving him odd looks, he held up his talons innocently. “What? I read about them!”

“And if Scarlet’s waiting for confirmation from Icicle,” Moon continued for him, “that means she’ll be checking in often.” She laid down in front of Icicle and hesitantly placed her talons on either side of the Princess’ head, hoping the touch would help amplify the activity in her mind. She closed her eyes. “Hopefully, she’ll respond quickly.”

“Shouldn’t we tell Queen Glory and the Dragons of Destiny, then?” said Kinkajou. 

Moon heard Winter stamp a talon. “No. They’ll stop us from searching for my brother. They’ll want to deal with Icicle and make sure the mountain is secure. By the time they’d put together a rescue party, Scarlet would already have figured out Icicle failed. She’ll kill him!”

“Then we need to act quickly,” Qibli said grimly. “Jambu would’ve given them our message by now. They’ll be on their way.”

“You all don’t have to come with me…”

“Winter,” Kinkajou cried, “we’re your winglet!”

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.” said Turtle.

“No way am I gonna miss watching you spring into action with that heroic look on your face!” Qibli laughed. 

Maybe Moon might’ve joined in with them, or at least appreciated the special moment between her friends. But at that moment, Icicle’s brain became alive with activity. She saw a dream unfold, not much happening in it, except for a dragon that suddenly popped into view. She was horrendously scarred, one half of her face a ruined mess. It had to be Scarlet. Moon was so repulsed by her haggard appearance and the scarily deep slither of her voice, she almost pulled away. But she stayed connected, concentrating to try and see.

Icicle must’ve been affected by the Dreamvisitor’s magic, as she didn’t react to Scarlet’s surroundings, but Moon saw them clearly. Her talons patted out for parchment, for ink, to sketch down what she saw. But then, she realised that she recognised something behind Scarlet… She’d seen that landmark before… 

Her eyes snapped open.

“I got it!”

* * *

Glory was the first one to burst into the library, the others on her heels. All of them stopped in their tracks when they saw the devastation. A table had been broken, a scroll-shelf had been overturned, scraps of parchment littered the floor. In the middle of the room lay Princess Icicle, tied and tangled and… asleep?

“By the Scorching,” Tsunami cursed as she came in. “What happened  _ here?!” _

Glory’s eyes searched the room frantically, and she did everything in her power to keep her scales from reacting to her emotions. Starflight hadn’t been at the meeting earlier. The only other logical place for him to be was the library - he was always with someone otherwise. Her heart slammed against her ribs. If anything happened to him, she didn’t know what she’d do… 

“Starflight!” Sunny cried and darted forward. 

She went to a lump at the back of the room, half concealed in the debris. The others rushed over, each of them displaying their panic and concern in different ways. Clay helped Sunny. They checked over the body of Starflight. Glory held her breath,waiting for confirmation… and then Clay relaxed and nodded. He was still alive!

A groan. The four of them jumped. The cloth that usually covered Starflight’s eyes had fallen away. They watched his lids flutter open. Glory couldn’t stop the happy pink that speckled the edges of her wings. He tried to move and winced. Clay and Sunny helped him to sit up. A type of bandage had been tied around his head, made out of scrunched up parchment tied with vines. Blood had dribbled down underneath it, but at least someone had attempted to give him aid. 

“Ow, ow, ow, my head,” Starflight hissed. Talons brushed his shoulders and he stiffened. He reached out to pat those closest to him. “Sunny? Clay? Please tell me that’s you.”

Clay’s relieved smile was huge. “It’s us. What happened?”

“Icicle,” he moaned. Glory glanced over at the sleeping princess. “She’s the traitor. Tried to kill me.”

“Tsunami,” said Glory tightly. To her, there was no question as to if Starflight was right or not. She wouldn’t take the risk. “Can you drag her to the dungeons? We’ll interrogate her when she wakes up.”

Her SeaWing sister grinned evilly. “With pleasure. I’ll be sure to hit every rock on the way down.”

“I should find Peril…” Clay mumbled. Glory held back an eye-roll. Poor Clay. It was obvious to everyone and Stonemover’s pet bird that Peril loved Clay irrevocably. But the big idiot was oblivious to the fact that he needed to tell her that he felt the same. It was only in moments like these that Glory saw the romantic in him.

“Let’s get him to Fatespeaker,” Glory instructed the other two whilst Tsunami began to drag the IceWing away. “She can look after him. We have no idea what Icicle’s put him through.”

Sunny cocked her head, frowning. “I wonder how she got tied up…”

“You mean Moon won?” Starflight asked hopefully. “She’s not dead?”

Glory whipped her head around. “ _ Moon _ caught her?”

“By herself?” said Clay. 

“Unlikely,” Glory stepped out into the centre of the middle of the wreckage. Her eyes assessed every scrap of scroll and broken furniture. “Icicle is a princess trained from hatching to challenge Queen Glacier, as well as a decorated soldier. No. It must’ve been a group. Qibli and Winter sent Jambu to get us. They were here.”

“But then where are they now?” Clay stood with Starflight leaning against his shoulder; he looked about worriedly.

“If they’re not here to make sure Icicle is safely captured, then that must mean something more important needed their attention…” she turned and shouted, “Jambu!”

“Glory?” asked Sunny. “What’re you doing?”

“I have a bad feeling about all this.” Her brother came in, his usual pink hue fading into a more cautious pale blue. “Jambu. Get everyone accounted for and then have them prepare. I think a battle is coming our way.”

* * *

Moon led the way, beating her wings as hard as she could to race with the wind. The others followed close behind her. Gale gusts of wind buffeted them, threatening to snatch away their wings and send them hurtling off into the ether. All of them had to fight to keep themselves on course. The storm was almost overhead. They didn’t have long before it would break. From the changes in pressure in the air, Moon could feel it would be a bad storm. It left them very little time to complete their task. 

Thankfully they hadn’t managed to run into anyone. They’d slipped out of the mountain, unnoticed, and were winging their way north. Moon scoured the landscape with her eyes, searching for the landmarks she needed. It would be foolish to believe they could pull this off, but Moon had to believe they could do something, and hope more of the rebellion might find them. 

“The ring of boulders, at the border!” she shouted to the others to be heard above the howling wind. “I could see it behind her. She must be somewhere on that ridge!” She pointed towards the beginnings of the Claws of the Clouds Mountains.

“I would say we need to go in quietly,” Qibli called back, “but from up there, she’ll see us coming. So, Winter, you go in the front. Once we spot her, Kinkajou will use her camouflage and lead Turtle around behind her to find Hailstorm. Moon and I will help Winter keep her busy.”

**_Moon,_ ** came Darkstalker’s voice, stronger and resonating within her brain more than ever before.  **_I know you won’t want to hear this, but you have to reconsider this plan._ **

_ We don’t have a choice.  _ She replied. They swooped low towards the ring of boulders. Her heart was beating wildly, the knowledge that she was once again going towards danger was wrecking her nerves.  _ We have to get Winter’s brother back. _

**_But Moon,_ ** he stressed, **_if you do this, there is a likely chance one of you will die today._ **

Moon pulled short, horrified. Winter passed her to take the lead.  _ What do you - _

And then she heard it. Thoughts, just whispers, but they came through loud and clear.

_ They’re coming! _

_ The spy sent them ahead.  _

_ They’re almost here.  _

And amongst them all came the thoughts that haunted her nightmares.

_ 500, 499, 498, 497… _

_ NUMBERS! _ “Winter! Stop!” 

She tackled Winter out of the air. They tumbled and slammed into the ground. She might’ve broken something, had Winer not spun them and taken the brunt of the impact. He cried out in her ear. They rolled, and Moon tried to stop their momentum before they could cross the border. They couldn’t cross -  _ must not cross! _ Dirt was thrown up underneath them, and Moon’s claws scrabbled in the earth. All at once, they stopped, tails curled together, inches from the magical barrier. 

“Moon,” Winter growled as he slowly stood, holding one wing slightly off, his expression twisted in pain. The others all landed behind them. “What is the meaning of this?!”

Before she could answer, they all heard the slither of scales and the crunch of heavy talonsteps. They spun towards the darkened treeline on the other side of the border. A shadow moved. The tops of the trees bent and rustled in the high wind. The shine of an eye or tooth gleamed from the dark. 

And then came a SandWing, tall and slender for one of her kind, with black diamond marks running down her neck. There was a gleeful wickedness in her black eyes, and her smile was too sharp and unnerving. Moon had seen her in Tsunami’s memories: Princess Blister. Meeting her in the flesh, Moon felt small and vulnerable, as the malicious, cleverest SandWing sister had already picked out several ways to kill her and she was as helpless as a bug struck by a pin. From beside the SandWing came a rasping wheeze, and the monstrosity that was Queen Scarlet’s face wormed out of the shadows. Seeing her in person was far worse than in the dreams of Icicle. When those yellow eyes swept over her, Moon was frozen to the spot. Both these queens were older, more experienced fighters, and the pair of them delighted with tormenting their prey. 

And then, all around them emerged dozens of dragons, mostly SandWings and NightWings, but a couple of SkyWings too appeared. They came out one after the other, and the Jade Winglet cowered back, realising with mounting terror that nothing could’ve prepared them for this. The rebellion had been found, and the armies of their enemies were bearing down upon them. The only thing that kept them at bay was the protection spell, but with the eyes of tens of dragons glaring malicious at her, it didn’t feel like enough protection. 

“It’s an ambush…” she murmured to Winter.

And then, from the midst of the invaders walked a large, hulking shape of muscle and simmering anger. It had been years since she’d seen him, but still the sight of him made her want to roll over in submission, terrified and small. Those golden eyes found her, and everything she’d thought she’d forgotten, every conditioning and expectation he’d pressed on her came rushing back. How could she have been such a fool as to believe she was free of him? There was no escaping him. 

Morrowseer stepped up beside his allies, and the corner of his lips tugged upwards in a smug smirk. Like he already knew he’d won. 


	16. Invitations

Morrowseer stepped out between the trees, allowing the shadows to slide away to reveal him in the light of that overcast afternoon. Leaves and small debris flew past his face in the wind that whistled between his horns. He came between Scarlet and Blister, the females hissing softly as they parted for him. The five dragons before him all reacted to his presence in various ways. The IceWing seemed stunned, before anger took hold of him. The RainWing had gone green-and-white with shock. The SeaWing cowered down to the ground. The SandWing looked him all over at once, assessing him with growing agitation. 

But he only had eyes for Moonwatcher. Throughout the journey here, he’d managed to keep himself focused on his mission, the goal always clear in his mind. Until he saw her. She'd grown more. Much taller than when he had seen her last.* She now stood in equal height to the IceWing and SandWing males on either side of her, her form perfectly healthy. He’d always been tall for his age as well. It made that small voice inside his heart crow with pride. But the way she was looking at him squashed such feelings into dust. She stared up at him, green eyes wide and wings shivering.

The way her voice shook only confirmed it. “F-Father…”

She was afraid of him. 

That fear would have to be used to his advantage, he reasoned with himself. If this was the path she chose, then she had to deal with the consequences. Even if it made something inside him turn cold at the thought of his dragonet ever having to feel the need to be truly frightened of her own father. 

He walked towards her, until he felt an invisible wall press against his chest. The other properties within the magic tried to take hold of his mind, but slid away without phasing him. He stared down at his daughter.

“Moonwatcher.” He greeted her as if they were colleagues. 

On his peripheral, he noticed Blister turn to grin at him. “Morrowseer, you failed to mention your precious informant was your own offspring.”

“I’m not your informant!” Moon shrieked, outraged.

“You leave her alone!” snarled the SandWing.

“And look, a few more rebels caught in our net.” Scarlet looked from left to right, assessing each of their enemies. “Have we got a collection of misfits? None of you seem to belong together.”

“We do belong together!” shouted the RainWing in a pitching voice that already grated on Morrowseer’s nerves. “It’s your face that doesn’t belong - not to anything living!”

Scarlet clucked her tongue, a move that obviously disgusted their adversaries as they could see her tongue moving through her ruined cheek. “A RainWing. I’m going to enjoy ripping off every colour-changing scale.”

“Enough,” Morrowseer said sternly. These petty games of posturing bored him.

Once again, he met Moonwatcher’s eyes. He made sure to keep up the mantra of numbers in his head so that she wouldn’t see past them. No doubt she was trying to read him even now. Finally, she asked, “Why… Why are you here?”

“To do what needs must,” he said. “This little upstart stops now. You’re all causing quite the stir, creating trouble where there need not be any.”

“We’re stopping you!” The IceWing growled savagely.

“From doing what? I’m holding up my end of an alliance to make peace across Pyrrhia, to see to the safety and stability of my tribe. Would you undo that?”

“You stole the rainforest!” the RainWing shot in front of him, as close to the barrier as she could get. Her scales had turned crimson red, dotted with black. “You work with _her!”_ she thrust her nose at Blister. “She’s not the SandWing queen! Queen Glory and the others didn’t choose her!”

“But they are meant to!” Blister seethed. 

“I created the prophecy,” said Morrowseer. “Who do you think would have a better understanding of it than I?”

“You can’t get in,” Moonwatcher redirected them back to the task at talon, every part of her body stiff. She never once took her eyes off him.

“No. Your precious shield prevents me from doing so. Rather clever of you.” He ran his claws along the surface of the barrier, like a cat trying to hook its claws in a loose thread to unravel. “And good of you to find Stonemover for me, Moonwatcher. I had wondered what had happened to him.”

“I won’t let you hurt him…”

“Hurt him? No one needs to be hurt today.” He ignored the indignant snort from his allies. His soldiers would do whatever he instructed. Let the would-be Queens have their fun if they wished. “I’m more than willing to accept your peaceful surrender. On the condition, Moonwatcher, that you invite me in.”

“How does he know about that?!” whispered the SeaWing fearfully.

The SandWing shook his head vigorously. “Moon, don’t!”

“Oh, you will,” Morrowseer’s golden eyes latched onto hers, denying her the ability to look away. “I’ve allowed you to have your fun, but now it’s over. You’re going to invite me in, Moonwatcher, and then we will need to discuss your definition of loyalty.”

A talon latched onto his arm. Scarlet. “You promised me the dragons of destiny!”

Morrowseer had to stamp down the rage that threatened to make him maul her to death at that very moment. He shook her off, and opened his mouth to- 

“Snake!” The IceWing spat, diverting their attention. “You already tried to get my sister to do your dirty work! You promised her my brother, Prince Hailstorm. Where is he?!”

Ah. So this was Prince Winter, nephew of Queen Glacier. Good. He would be sure not to promise sparing _that one_. A message needed to be sent, after all. 

Scarlet pondered the prince’s words for a moment, as if confused, only to break the ruse a moment later to throw her head back and laugh. “Oh! You naïve fool! Did you think I stowed him away under my wings? Did you not hear what happened to dear, beloved Hailstorm? I heard he pled his case quite passionately before your IceWing blockade.”

Prince Winter frowned. “What're you talking about?”

Scarlet clapped her talons together gleefully. “Your precious big brother was killed by his own tribe!”

“What-?!”

The SeaWing leapt on to the back of his companions, trying to push them aside. “Look out!”

Enormous orange wings crashed into the group of younger dragons, scattering them! His main target had been to ram his shoulders into the IceWing and SandWing, sending them sprawling. But he made sure to smack his tail into the RainWing, sending her to the ground. In the confusion, the SkyWing managed to hook his talons into a dazed Moon, and began to drag her towards the barrier.

* * *

The moment Moon understood what was happening, she thrashed and struggled. She couldn’t allow him to take her! She couldn’t cross over! She only caught brief glimpses, but she recognised the orange wings, the cold touch of golden rings, the large amulet at his breast - Soar! But what was he doing?!

White flashed above her head and Winter unleashed his frostbreath. Soar had to let her go to duck aside, and Moon wasted no time in scrambling back away from the shield. But even with all her friends coming at him to fight him, Soar tried to charge her. Moon ducked and rolled aside, taking the opening to bite for his flanks as he passed her. Qibli came in front of the SkyWing and tried to wrestle him to the ground. Winter joined him, and managed to get in a few good swipes with his serrated claws along Soar’s neck and one across the face. 

The SkyWing cried out and abruptly dropped his weight, unbalancing Qibli, who he quickly elbowed in the face. In the same movement, Soar hooked his back legs under Winter’s stomach and kicked him off, sending him flying across the ring of boulders. But Moon, Turtle and Kinkajou swept in immediately. Turtle threw himself onto Soar’s back, scrabbling for purchase and biting into his prey’s shoulder. He’d never been good at talon-to-talon combat, not even when Tsunami tried to teach him, and the only thing he was competent at was subduing his enemy long enough for someone else to get a good shot in.

Which was what Kinkajou did, jumping onto Moon’s back to spring off so that she could go high, jaws wide and fangs out to shoot her venom into Soar’s face. But he saw her coming and with a huge thrust of his wings pushed himself into the sky to avoid the deadly blast - with Turtle still atop him! Spinning in the air, Soar managed to shake his SeaWing passenger off, but Turtle quickly caught himself on his own wings, and swung his large, thick tail. It hit Soar in the face with all the force of a tidal wave, sending him spinning in the air before he crashed to the ground, dazed. 

Moon was on him in an instant, trying to subdue him. Qibli was right behind her and Winter was gathering himself up. 

But then, Soar’s long tail coiled around her ankle and Moon’s balance was yanked out of place. Soar rolled them so that he stood over her, his arms wrapped around hers. Once again with his large wings, he tried to lift them into the air to forcibly carry her away.

“Get her here now, useless lizard!” Blister shouted.

Soar huffed. “That’s just-!”

Moon sank her teeth into his wrist.

Her captor yowled with pain, and did not notice Winter leap up behind him and land on his back, claws and teeth scrabbling along his spine and neck. Soar had to drop Moon in order to deal with the IceWing, but she was sure to give him a good kick as she fell. She landed heavily, and Kinkajou helped to steady her.

An agonised shriek pierced the air. Soar had managed to catch one of Winter’s wings in his teeth - the one Moon had injured when she’d tackled Winter. He shook the wing side to side, further damaging it, and Winter had to leap free. When Soar released him, Winter’s bad wing didn’t seem to want to support him, properly, and he fell heavily to the ground. Turtle rushed towards him, digging his talons into his pouch. 

Soar’s eyes went wide, and Moon caught a brief flash through his mind. He somehow recognised what Turtle was up to. But how? Before she could question, Qibli had taken to the air and was coming for Soar with his tail raised. The SkyWing dodged the tail attack and clobbered the SandWing over the head with talons and wings. He left Qibli reeling and dove towards Winter and Turtle.

He flung aside the IceWing and set upon the SeaWing. He sank his teeth into the base of Turtle’s neck and shook him violently. Moon and Kinkajou screamed and raced towards him - he was going to kill him! Kinkajou leapt onto Soar’s back spraying her venom onto his wings and trying to reach her claws around for his throat. He screamed with agony and rolled on the ground, nearly crushing her underneath him. At the very least, Kinkajou was winded. 

Moon roared and unleashed her fire, straight into Soar’s face! He leapt back, trying to cover his eyes, and she leapt at him, slashing furiously at his wings and neck. Blisters bubbled along his snout, a gash appeared along his throat, and Soar roared, seizing her talons. He shook his head in pain, but he was surprisingly strong, and huge. He flung her to the ground with ease. 

And then Winter was there, barrelling into the SkyWing, rolling across the clearing. Soar tried to unleash his own fire straight into Winter, but the prince smacked his chin shut. Frostbreath hit Soar in the face, directly into the burns Moon had given him. Though he closed his eyes at the last second, the ice sealed his eyes shut. His bellow of agony was unlike anything Moon had ever heard before. Soar threw Winter off him and stumbled away - 

A rush heat and angry flames assaulted Moon’s scales and mind as copper scales and golden veins filled her vision. Peril beat her wings to hover above the battlefield and kicked her father straight in the middle of his back. Just that brief contact sent his scales sizzling and he cried out. 

“I KNEW you were up to something!” Peril roared, blue eyes shining, pupils almost too thin to see in her rage. “Thought you could make a fool out of _ME_?!”

She hooked her talons into his shoulders. The stink of burning flesh filled the air. Soar screamed. Peril spun him around and then threw him away. 

Soar crash landed and tried to scrabble up, Kinkajou was there, ready to stop him should he try to escape. But the moment her talons touched him, Soar reacted with pure instinctive panic and fury. He seized hold of whoever was in front of him and slammed her back - which just so happened to be against one of the great boulders at the edge of the clearing.

Moon saw it in slow motion. Soar throwing Kinkajou aside. Her neck snapping back. The side of her head smashing against the stone so hard… a terrible, awful _CRACK_ filled the air. 

“Kinkajou!” Moon screamed.

Soar dropped the little RainWing as he scrambled away in the direction of the shield. Kinkajou’s body fell to the ground, boneless, her scales gone white.

Talons slipping in the damp earth, Moon raced towards her friend. A dark shape was behind Kinkajou. On the other side of the barrier, Morrowseer loomed. He glanced down. Moon followed his gaze.

The very end of Kinkajou’s tail was across the barrier. 

She dove for her friend - Morrowseer seized hold of the RainWing’s tail. He pulled her through with one harsh tug. Moon leapt to try and catch her - she slipped right through her claws.

“NOOOOO!” 

“Moon, don’t!” cold and warm wings surrounded her, claws had hold of her, stopping her as she struggled. Moon was only faintly aware that she was shouting, screaming, trying to fight to fly to her friend that now lay on the ground at her father’s feet. But Winter and Qibli restrained her.

“Let her go!” Moon begged, voice cracked on the verge of sobbing. “Please, father - _please!”_

“Don’t worry, Moonwatcher,” her father said in that emotionless way that sent chills across her wings. “I’ll more than happily give you back your _pet_. So long as you do something for me in return…”

“You’d better run!” Peril snarled. She was stood by Turtle, who looked half out of it, pressing a talon to his neck that was badly bleeding. “The whole mountain is preparing to come out and face you!”

“Yes, all fourteen hundred RainWings and a handful of others from other tribes,” Morrowsneer snorted. 

A growl, a whine. Soar was on the other side of the barrier, shaking his head and blindly pawing one talon across his chest, reaching for something. He clutched the large amulet in his fist. There was a moment where his form seemed to vibrate… and then he was... shifting! His wings grew short, his ears became longer, a frill sprouted under his horns. His scales mottled from orange to lime green, and in a matter of moments, a sickly looking RainWing took the place where Soar used to be. Though she had seen it with her own eyes, Moon’s brain struggled to comprehend.

Apparently this was a revelation for others. She saw her father’s nostrils flare, and Blister hissed.

Qibli sucked in a breath. “How is this possible?!”

“Didn’t see that one coming, did you?” the RainWing glared hatefully at Winter. He winced as he stretched out his neck, and Moon was horrified to see that all the injuries he’d sustained in their fight had vanished. “Ow, that was a bit excessive, don’t you think, Peirl? No way to treat your father.”

“ _You’re_ not my father.” She spat.

“Oh, but I am.” He held up the amulet. “See this? A little trinket I found in the rainforest. My tribe wanted nothing to do with me, but I found the power to become a dragon of any tribe I wished. It’s served me well. Plenty of queens pay handsomely for a spy. And it also allowed me to father you.”

“The amulet works on anyone who wears it,” said Scarlet, eyeing the RainWing beside her with obvious disdain, “and the enchantment can only be removed at Chameleon’s say so - or so he claims.” She caught Winter’s gaze, and smiled widely. “Your sister was right, I did have Prince Hailstorm. All the best political prisoners were transformed into SkyWings! Even if they escaped, where would they go? Quite genius, if I do say so myself.”

Winter’s breathing began to grow erratic. “You… you turned Hailstorm…?”

“Yes,” said the ex-Queen gleefully. “And when your precious Dragonets of Destiny broke out of my palace and tried to kill me, there was quite the commotion. More than enough for one SkyWing to slip away… make his way home… beg for help from those he loved… I’m told your kind killed him quite gruesomely. Your tribe doesn’t take kindly to trespassers.”

A horrendous, mournful sound broke out of Winter’s mouth. His legs buckled underneath him and he fell, head bowed. He keened loudly into the dirt, tears crawling down his snout. Moon and Qibli surrounded him with their wings. 

“Enough toying with them. You already have enough explaining to do.” Morrowseer growled at Scarlet. He turned back to Moon. “Let’s get to the point. Moonwatcher, invite us in.”

Her heart began to pound, her eyes couldn’t leave the sight of Kinkajou, unmoving, at Morrowseer’s mercy. A trickle of bright red blood stained her white scales from a cut in her head. “Father…”

“Invite me in…” he placed one large black talon on Kinkajou’s head, his claws wrapping around her tiny skull. “Or I will kill your little RainWing.”

It was hard to breathe. If she did as her father asked, the rebels were done for. Even if Peril was right and they were preparing for battle, they were still outnumbered, if the amount of thoughts she could hear were any indication. Her father had brought almost his entire army, as well as Blister’s and some of Scarlet’s loyalists. And they were all seasoned soldiers and merciless murders. But if Moon denied him, Morrowseer would kill Kinkajou, she had no doubt of that. And she already looked to be in desperate need of medical attention.

 _I enchant this stone to fly into Morrowseer’s face!_ She heard Turtle think through his pain, even if his thoughts were sluggish. _Hit him, and don’t stop until he let’s Kinkajou go - make sure she’s safe!_

And yet, when he released his stone, the spell had no effect. What had happened? Was Turtle too injured to do any magic? 

“You won’t kill her!” Qibli cried out brazenly. “If you do, you’ll have nothing left to bargain with.”

Morrowseer quirked a brow. “I admire your resolve then, boy. Let’s see how long it lasts.” He dragged one claw along Kinkajou’s snout and pressed it beside her eye. “I don’t plan to make it quick.”

“No, stop!” Moon shouted.

“Invite me in!” her father exploded in a rare fit of emotion.

 _Darkstalker,_ she called. _Is there any future where he doesn’t kill her? If I invite him in, does he keep his word?_

 **_No._ ** Was his answer. **_He will kill her anyway, either to make a point, or to rid you of a ‘weakness’._ **

Moon nearly lost herself into despair. There was no way to win. Her father had won. 

**_But there is a way, Moon._ ** Darkstalker said urgently. **_Let me help you!_ **

“I won’t wait forever, Moonwatcher,” Morrowseer was telling her. “You have until the count of five.”

_You can save her?_

**_I need to see what I’m doing. Casting a spell without knowing the specifics might cause the magic to go awry._ **

“One.”

**_You need a distraction! You need something that’ll scare them off!_ **

“Two.”

 **_Let me out, Moon!_ ** He shouted. **_Kinkajou will die if you don’t!_ **

“Three!”

She only had a moment to choose. No turning back. But Moon knew that she would do it all again. She’d commit any crime, any sin. _Darkstalker, I give you permission…_

“Four!”

Anything to save a friend. _… to break free from under the mountain._

“Fi–”

The earth shook under their talons. Trees swayed and fell. There was a dull roar of rocks and earth shifting. Dragons were thrown to the floor. Moon and Qibli clutched on to each other. Peril took the air so that she wouldn’t accidentally fall on someone. 

Just to the north east of Jade Mountain, perhaps less than a quarter of a mile away from them, the ruins of what was once Agate Mountain began to break and split apart. A fountain of dirt and rocks were thrown into the air, as out from the bowels of the earth arose a shadow - no, it was deeper than a shadow it was darkness itself, with terrible wings that stretched so wide, they encompassed the sky and turned day to night!

A pounding crept up Moon’s spine and raced to engulf her head. She cried out, falling to her knees and clutching her head as if it were about to split apart between her claws. She was faintly aware of other dragons screaming. Talons stampeding and wings beating as hundreds of dragons fled. The absolute terror in their minds crushed Moon’s own consciousness, battering her and feeding into the vision that was trying to pierce its way through her brain. 

A face was in front of hers. Warm dusty-cream scales. Qibli. “Moon! What’s wrong?!”

“Can you hear us?” that was Winter’s voice. Why did they sound so far away? “Kinkajou’s safe! We have to go!”

The pain in her head was all she could comprehend. Her tongue refused to move. “Can’t… I…”

Behind them, she caught a glimpse of the nightmare that had terrified everyone. She only saw pieces. Large, ragged wings, a long coiling body, spines like spears, twisted horns. And glowing silver-blue eyes. 

And then the vision finally broke through and Moon screamed as the pain flashed across her whole body. She couldn’t see, couldn’t hear. And then, came the images, fast and nonsensical. She saw chains and daggers, a dragon roaring in agony as poison was pumped into his mouth. Then there were IceWings, coughing, collapsing, dying. A vat of bubbling black liquid ate at a dragon that thrashed and screamed until even their bones melted into nothingness. And then she saw the most frightening image of all. Of a giant dragon with his claws pressed into a giant map, grinning wickedly as he burned the metal globe of the world into a bubbling mess between his claws.

And then everything stopped. Time stopped. The world stopped. And it felt like a parade of dragons were marching through her head, speaking as one, puppeting her mouth to move for their words. 

_“_ _When earth and palace crack and fall_

_When a silver-tongue brings doom burning bright,_

_Hope lies amidst the broken fragments_

_In the lost city of night._

_Find the tale of the brother lost,_

_Find the sword from on high,_

_Or else let darkness swallow the world,_

_And bring down the sky!”_

Everything was wiped away, leaving Moon with nothing but a blank slate. She collapsed to the ground, as blackness swarmed her vision.

The last thing she heard was a terrible rasping voice releasing a roar of triumph that echoed across the world. 

* * *

Winter couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe.

The Darkstalker was alive. He was _here!_ All the nightmare stories Winter had ever been told as a dragonet came slamming into his brain. The urge to run for his life was so strong he was surprised he wasn’t already halfway to the Ice Kingdom by now!

It was more terrifying than he could have ever imagined. The Darkstalker was easily the largest dragon Winter had ever seen, at least two heads taller than Winter’s father, Narwhal, or their enemy, Morrowseer. But the Darkstalker was horribly thin, little more than skin and scales stretched over bone. When he moved, it was like a skeleton pulled by strings to imitate the living. Each claw was as long as Winter’s whole talon. The spines down the back of his neck were like spears. His torso was slightly bent in the middle, like the coils of his body were longer than he was supposed to be. Silvery blue eyes glowed in a head that might once have been handsome, but instead was gaunt with sunken eyes and hollowed out cheeks. 

When he opened his overly large black wings, NightWings, SandWings and SkyWings alike fled. Winter could understand why the NightWings ran, Darkstalker was as much a monster story to them as he was to the IceWings. For the others, maybe a giant dragon erupting from the earth was cause enough to bolt. Scarlet and Blister had already vanished. Morrowseer was the last to take flight, staring at the Darkstalker, who rose into the sky with thunder in the clap of his wings. Moon’s father’s mouth hung open in silent horror, but Winter noticed something in those golden eyes that made him sick with dread.

Greed.

Darkstalker soared down from the ruins he had escaped from, and Winter obeyed his body without knowing. He darted towards the prone form of Kinkajou and lifted her into his arms. The way she flopped limply was almost sickening. He could barely feel her breathing. Qibli was going towards Turtle, making sure he could get into the air by himself. The SeaWing was clutching the floor with white-knuckled talons, clutching a stick in his other hand, eyes wide with fear. 

There was a roar, and Winter spun, nearly tripping himself. Darkstalker had pounced upon the RainWing that used to be Soar. His long, skeletal, spider-like fingers clutched at the amulet in Chameleon’s gasp and ripped it away. The RainWing cried out, but Darkstalker batted him aside with the edge of his wing.

“I’ll take _that_!” he spoke in a voice that felt like claws scraping slowly down Winter’s spine. It was little more than a rasp, as if the Darkstalker had never once tasted water. 

Then those creepy eyes slid past Winter, and he stopped moving, praying that so long as he did not move, the nightmare of his dragonethood would not notice him. Only too late did he realise his mistake. For the Darkstalker’s attention had not even been snagged by Winter. Instead, it fell upon the unconscious NightWing on the floor.

“Moon!” Winter shouted. Qibli turned and noticed his grave error, too. They had both left Moon unguarded. 

The Darkstalker swooped between them as they tried to leap for her - Winter still carrying Kinkajou. The ancient NightWing stood on his hind legs, wings outstretched for balance. He clutched the dragoness in his arms, claws wrapping around her possessively. She lay in his embrace, oblivious.

“Get away from her!” Qibli shouted.

Darkstalker turned his head slightly to peer down his long, bony snout at them. “Your concern is very sweet, but unnecessary. Moon needs more than you can all provide.”

Winter was shaking. Whether with fear or rage, he knew not. But it made him reckless and he roared. “Put her down!”

There was an awful silence as those bright, unblinking eyes stared into Winter. “I spent years taking orders from little idiots like you. Because Moon thinks so highly of you, I offer one warning: never think to command _me_ again.”

The threat was so crystal clear, so chilly and so very real, that Winter felt his knees shake. For the first time in his life, he knew what it was to feel cold. 

“I’d rather not leave on such unpleasant terms,” Darkstalker said in a chery tone, as if Winter’s transgression and the warning had never occurred. “After all, I foresee us becoming great friends! So do look after yourselves - we will be back for you when the time is right.”

“Time is right?” Qibli echoed, glancing at Winter. “Right for what?”

With a rush of wings and a cackle of laughter, the Darkstalker took off into the air, carrying Moon away with him. Winter let out a wordless yell and took off after them. Pain speared him through his left wing, down his shoulder and across his back. _Damn!_ That blasted SkyWing-RainWing whatever he was, had caused more damage than Winter had initially thought. It wasn’t broken, or else he wouldn’t be able to move it at all. A fracture? He couldn’t think about it, he just had to keep going. 

Qibli was on his right side, and Peril was trying to fly with them. Whatever words she was shouting to them were whisked away by the ferocious wind. Winter clutched Kinkajou tight against his chest, hoping to shield her from the worst of it. She was heavier than he’d thought she’d be, and she weighed him down considerably, putting further strain on his injured wing. He grit his teeth and kept going. 

The sky darkened. Winter tried to follow the enormous black dragon as he soared away towards the west. But he disappeared into rolling dark clouds, and a gust of wind blasted into Winter, sending him tumbling.

The storm that had been brewing all day finally erupted. Rain hammered down upon him like a million cutting diamonds, straight into his eyes and along his wounds. Thunder boomed in his ears and the wind threatened to carry him away. Qibli was long gone, grounded by such a raging storm. But Winter refused to give up. Squinting into the rain, driving his exhausted body onwards, holding tightly to Kinkajou, he carried on. But he could see nothing, could hear nothing. And every time he tried to move ahead, the winds battered and shook him about, disorientating him and sending him in multiple directions. It felt like he flew in circles. But he couldn’t let the Darkstalker get away!

“Moon?!” he called into the storm, but his voice was ripped away. His body was beginning to sag dangerously. It was hard to keep himself aloft. “Moon!”

“Winter!” came a cry. 

Something slammed into him, talons guided him, pushed him down. Another set of arms took Kinkajou from him. He flailed uselessly. But large mahogany wings urged him in the direction of their choosing. A dash of colour - a RainWing, Queen Glory! She was helping Qibli down too. As Winter descended, he became aware of others zipping too and fro, trying to keep out of reach of the storm, swarming over the site of the incident. Solid ground met his feet. To the side, he saw Tsunami shouting at someone as she tried to heft Turtle onto her back - were those tears streaming down her face? 

He couldn’t be here, he realised. He still had to stop the Darkstalker, he still had to get Moon back!

A large brown face came in front of his own, trying to get his attention. It was Clay. “Winter, it’s no use! They’re gone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * = in loving dedication to my friend Max, from a drabble she did


	17. The Genie Is Out Of The Lamp

~PART TWO~

The Castle of Ghosts and Shadows

_ First Moon of Spring / New Year’s Day, 5015 AS  _

The storm roared and spat and hissed all around. Winds battered and shoved their way into long, tattered wings. Cold rain came down hard and fast, almost upon the edge of freezing, giving it an extra-hard stab along ebony black scales. Lightning flashed somewhere just beyond reach, and the boom of its passing came not a second after. It was an environment that was not meant to be traversed. It was a storm the likes of which came like a messenger from mother nature herself, reminding the world of just how devastating she could really be. Any lesser dragon would have had their wings ripped out of their sockets by such violent winds, the reduced visibility would have had them going in circles endlessly. The storm sought to take no prisoners. It wanted blood to be spilt and bones to be shattered. And the longer it went without claiming its prey, the more infuriated it became. 

Of course,  **_he_ ** was almost completely unbothered by it. His instructors had forced him to fly through tempests by the age of four, to make him more resilient, to force him to find his way. He knew which of the temperamental air currents to follow, how to find the eye of the storm to channel his way through. Muscle memory took him far, even if his body felt weak from so long being inactive. But his size more than made up for that. His strength and weight - even when so frail - made it hard for the gales to push him off course. 

The only thing that worried him even slightly was that his passenger would be snatched away if his grip relaxed even slightly. He’d had the idea to gather up her wings so that they wouldn’t be broken whilst she slept. Cradled underneath him, he held her close to try and shield her from the harsher elements. He’d been flying for hours, and Moon still had yet to awaken. A part of his mind fretted with worry for her…

But he was free! The joy of stretching his wings, of feeling  _ clean air  _ pass through his nose, of filling his mouth with cool fresh water to quench his aching throat - it was a piece of heavenly bliss beyond description. Even the worry for his friend was pushed aside to experience the tear-inducing happiness he felt at finally being free. No more claustrophobia, no more scratching at the rock in panicked vain, no more praying for the tiniest shred of light. He felt drunk - was it possible to get drunk on euphoria? It didn’t matter - he felt so happy, nothing would ever restrain him again, he wanted to fly forever to the ends of the earth!

Reality hit him with a harsh smack of wind in his momentary distraction. It jarred the shoulder joint of his right wing, reminding him of his limitations. He might wish to fly endlessly, to never touch ground again, but his body was not up to such a task. Adrenaline, will power and old enchantments had kept him going but now he was starting to tire. His muscles hadn't been used in so long, and he hadn't eaten anything apart from unfortunate rodents - and the last one of those had been a month ago. If he didn't stop soon, then his exhausted, skeletal body would fail him.

Luckily for  **_him_ ** , his destination wasn't that far now.

Experimentally, he reached for that overflow of humming energy that flowed all through him to the tips of his claws. Under his breath, he willed a spell to return his body to full health. Nothing happened. The magic tingled, ready to obey him, but it waited on the edge, waiting for the last lock to open for it to be unleashed. And of course  **_he_ ** didn't have the key.

When Moon had given him permission to break out from under the mountain, the rush he'd felt to use his magic once again had put his brain in the stratosphere! To use it, like an old friend returned, had made him feel alive for the first time in two years. He'd thought that that would be the end of his troubles - Moon had given him permission, so that must mean he had his magic back. But no. He’d tried several spells since he’d escaped, but nothing had worked. Recalling her words, he realised that she’d been specific in her instructions. He’d been allowed that one spell, but he was still under her control. 

A moan from underneath.  **_He_ ** paused his introspection and bent his neck to look down at his passenger. Moon’s eyelids were fluttering. A brief examination of her mind confirmed that she was dreaming. More visions along the lines of the one that had incapacitated her. It was worrying, and highly confusing. When he or Clearsight had experienced visions, they’d been clear-cut. This one was a jumbled mess, like someone had tangled the thread of the timeline into a knotted ball that was impossible to decipher. Only brief flashes of images, none of which seemed to be connected, made themselves known. Her mind was replaying it over and over, and only causing itself more damage in the process. If  **_he_ ** didn’t need all his wits about him to navigate through the storm, he would help her. For now, he’d have to wait until they were settled. 

Slight guilt marred his conscience at having snatched her away and exposing her to this storm when she needed help. He couldn’t exactly remember the moment when he’d decided to take her away with him - it just happened. The adrenaline of breaking out of the mountain, of finally tasting freedom, it had pushed him to run on impulse. Embarrassingly, he’d rather enjoyed frightening off all those dragons, sensing their shock and terror in their minds as they beheld him. And what luck, he’d even managed to get back the Amulet of Concealment! Such a high had filled him, he’d turned towards his best friend, realising that this was the moment when he got to officially meet her. Being inside the minds of others was not a visual experience, unless they were thinking very clearly about exactly what they were seeing. Otherwise he got jumbled impressions of imagination pressed onto reality. And besides, being inside Moon’s head, and she in his, gave a false sense that it wasn’t truly real. Until they met, they were just voices to each other amidst lonely darkness. 

But first he had to see what she looked like. Forgetting his normal caution, he’d spun delightedly to the place where his mind had said she was. And the knife of dread he had dimly feared since the night she’d heard that blasted story had buried itself to the hilt in his throat. Of course, her name was a stranger’s, unfamiliar and foreign. But her face was not a stranger  **_to him._ ** *

And from there it had all happened so fast. He’d snatched her up, put her little idiot in his rightful place, promised her friends they would be back and then he was off! (Something about her little group of friends was bugging his brain: he could’ve sworn there was one amongst them he’d really wanted to meet… something to do with Fathom… but for some odd reason it wasn’t coming to mind…). He couldn’t completely explain why he had taken her, but he knew he wanted to keep her safe and that only he could help her. If the day’s events had been any indication, Moon wasn’t safe at Jade Mountain. 

But she would be safe with him, where they were going. 

As if his thoughts heralded his arrival, the storm finally passed over and he broke through the other side of the clouds. He came through mountain peaks, stretching so high into the void of the sky that one could not pass over them, for the air was too thin for any life to survive. So many passes and casms yawned around him that it became a naturally formed stone labyrinth. A subtle effect tried to work its way over his senses, trying to confuse and misdirect him. But he knew the way through, and took each correct turn with ease. Halfway through the mountains, he felt a slight tingle shimmer across his wings and it made him smile. At least he knew that his own magical shield was still in effect, even after all these centuries. And it was far deadlier than the one at Jade Mountain. Of course, it did nothing to him. It was only meant to keep out IceWings, after all. 

And then he came out of the mountain range, just as the moons finally broke through the clouds to reveal…

Devastation. 

A once grand city that sprawled across canyons and ravines now lay in complete ruins. Darkstalker nearly fell out of the air. Of course, he’d known in his mind, logically, that two thousand years of desertion would reduce his once glorious home to absolute ruin. Yet still, nothing could have prepared him for the reality of it. Most of the city was an overgrown mess, vegetation almost completely obscuring nearly half of the city to reclaim it for the forest. Several bridges over gorges and entire districts of cliff homes had fallen away, likely due to earthquakes. The coastline was the worst hit. From soil erosion or some other catastrophe, the talon peninsula now looked rather diminished. 

He couldn’t seem to grasp this reality in his mind. Though he’d been stuck under the mountain, awake in his own personal hell, for the past two years, the passage of time hadn’t really sunk in for him. It still felt like he’d been propelled forward in time. He could still clearly remember seeing Clearsight’s face when she -

With a snort, he shook his head vigorously. No. He refused to think about that!

Soaring low, he flew towards the heart of the city, towards a singular peak, Border Mountain. These were some of the richer areas, where neither the forest nor the sea had completely reclaimed the land yet. The once glossy, obsidian roads were all cracked and misshapen. Columns lay toppled and vines grew over them. His favourite sweet shop lay in shambles - the roof had rotted away long ago and collapsed in on itself. A jewel maker that used to have access to the best mines and make special commissions for the Queen now had a tree growing up through the chimney. Here and there, he saw blackened buildings, stained from fires long since passed. One building had its roof completely collapsed in on itself like it were an impact crater. The evidence of his battle with Fath-

No, he refused to think about that as well!

He reached the foot of Border Mountain, and came to the Great Diamond. The plaza was the very heart of the City of Night. Each corner of the diamond held a place that was meant to be a pillar of NightWing society. On the northeast corner, the school: where every NightWing dragonet was given a decent education. To the southwest, the library, a massive archive filled with all the knowledge of the ancient world. It was widely accepted that every piece of knowledge in the known world had a copy kept in this library. At the southeast was the museum. And on the northwest corner of the plaza, stood the massive staircase that led a thousand feet up to the Castle of Stars. 

It had been built into the side of the mountain, a marvelous creation of both elegance and intimidation. The walls were sheer and thick, with circular towers built to make them stronger against any kind of attack. Although, the castle had never been attacked by an outside tribe. Yet it had been built as if it were meant to withstand a siege for decades and not fall, but NightWing engineers had brilliantly crafted the perfect balance between style and pragmatism. The parapets were sweeping and smooth, the buttresses once allowed for dragons to swoop among them in grand spectacles. The main keep, above the throne room, had a glass roof so as to live up to the name of the place and allow the Queen and her court to have even the stars as their audience.

Yet what once was a place of majesty, was now an empty husk of shadows. Not even the great castle had been spared the damages of time. Most of the furthest extremities of the castle didn’t look safe or stable.  **_He_ ** made a mental note to try and fix that later. 

Returning here, the task set before him was apparent and a little overwhelming, especially considering his current state. He couldn’t allow this tragic annihilation of his home - of his  _ culture  _ \- to continue. He had to fix it. But all in good time. Right now, he needed to prioritise. And Moon was at the top of the list. 

He flew straight towards the largest balcony at the top of the castle - the royal apartments. He flew straight into the Queen’s chambers, but they were filthy. Having a large open doorway bare to the elements would do that. He briefly wondered if Vigilance’s skeleton was at the bottom of the three hundred foot drop below the balcony, where he’d let her corpse fall...? 

No matter. Still carrying Moon (though his arms were certainly beginning to ache now), he checked the other rooms to see if they were the least bit habitable. The crown princess’ quarters was the first he found that wasn’t completely overgrown with either vines or fungus, or worse had sections of wall collapsed. He smacked his tail onto the fifty foot wide bed, sending a cloud of dust into the air. It was hard not to cough, which wasn’t appreciated by his dried out vocal chords. Gently, he laid Moon on the bed and checked her over for any signs of injury. A few scrapes and scratches thanks to the tussle with both Icicle and then Soar/Chameleon, he was sour to note. And she might’ve hit her head when she’d fainted. Physical ailments he could deal with later. Right now, her mind was still in turmoil. 

Holding her head between his large, skeletal talons, he was careful of his overly long claws. Without hesitation, he dove into her restless consciousness that battled against itself. Using the overwhelming power of his own psyche, he banished the visions that were swarming her in a chaotic hurricane. Her mind was so scattered, he doubted she was even aware of his presence, for she did not respond when he telepathically tried to rouse her. Instead, he guided her back towards the dark obliviousness of sleep without dreams. With that done, he pulled out of her and let her head rest on a pillow. Sat back on his haunches, he watched her.

After six months alone, trapped, slowly suffocating to growing claustrophobia, Moon had appeared in his life like a shining beacon. For the past two years she had been his one and only friend, his constant companion. And yet now that he was in the real world again, it felt like they had yet to meet all over again. He was excited to talk to her like a real being. 

The cruel familiarity of her features still stunned him with grief. It made him uncertain. Yet, she was a lovely, wilting flower that he longed to rescue from the strangling creep of weeds. It was an easy future to read where she was wasted had she stayed in that old life at Jade Mountain. He wanted to plant her safely within his kingdom, to hide her from the world so that no one else should ever find her, hurt her… take her away. He could make her grow –  _ I know I could make her grow! _ – if only he dared to reach out and lift her from the barren, acrid soil that was stifling her.*

But, again, that was a task for later - if Moon would agree to it. For now, there was other work to be done. He was in a sorry state after all. It would not do at all for the great Darkstalker to be like this, a living skeleton with a hunger so great he wanted to eat the walls. He chortled; no, no, no! First and foremost, he needed a meal to kill a two thousand year appetite…

* * *

Jade Mountain was in chaos. Dragons swarmed from place to place, frantic to do as they’d been ordered in an effort to garner one shred of information about what was going on. The attack, the giant NightWing, and now the storm, had the rebellion scrambling. A couple members of the enemy had been taken down whilst they’d been trying to escape. They had to be imprisoned safely. Several SkyWings had tried to track down where their enemies had gone - though they’d had to return due to the severity of the storm. 

Even now, hours after the incident, Winter listened from his cave as dragons rushed around. All of them were panicked, frightened. He understood their fear. Just this morning, they’d all believed that Jade Mountain was the most secure location in all of Pyrrhia. They’d taken their own safety for granted, and now the enemy had discovered them. Many were contemplating whether they were still safe here. 

He turned from the entrance to his cave to pace back along the rut he’d worn into the ground. Unconsciously, he shifted his injured wing where it was bandaged against his side in a very uncomfortable position. The healers had done everything they could for him, but it was mostly a bad sprain with a slight fracture. Not much that they could do. And besides, they’d had more pressing concerns when seeing to Kinkajou and Turtle. 

_ Poor Kinkajou _ , Winter thought. She’d remained unconscious the whole way to the infirmary. The healers believed she had a broken skull. They had spoken about suggesting to Glory to summon a more specialised doctor. Qibli had wisely advised that they vacate the infirmary, to allow the healers to work. Winter had been reluctant to go, but couldn’t stand the sight of Kinkajou’s lifeless body, or Turtle’s petrified eyes. The three of them, Winter, Qibli and Peril, had retreated to Winter’s cave. They’d been told that the Dragons of Destiny wanted to speak to them.

Night had fallen hours ago, and the storm had subsided slightly, though the rain was still pouring down outside. Winter continued to move about his cave to try and work off this building anxiety in his limbs. His mind constantly replayed the days events over and over, particularly of the Darkstalker holding Moon in his arms and flying away with her. 

That hurt worst of all. The memory that Winter hadn’t been able to do anything to save Moon.

“Winter,” Qibli said tiredly, “you need to stop pacing. The physicians said you could stress your fracture into an actual break.”

The IceWing’s jaw worked to bite back the snappiness in his voice. “We shouldn’t have let them go…”

“You think you could’ve flown through that storm and kept your wings?” Peril snorted. “You’re lucky Clay was there. And the others too.”

“The Darkstalker seemed to get through alright.”

She looked at him as if he was stupid for stating that. “Um. Yeah. Giant, magical NightWing of death? It kind of seems a little OBVIOUS that a storm wouldn’t be much for him.”

“You really think that was him?” asked Qibli. “The Darkstalker?”

Winter turned to him. “Who else could it have been? A gigantic NightWing imprisoned underground, one that seemed to especially hate me, an IceWing? The answer seems elementary.”

“Don’t know,” Peril shrugged. “I can think of a few dragons who disliked you when they first met you as well.”

Before Winter can make a smart retort, a shadow stormed into his cave. Winter only had a moment to recognise the scarred deep blue scales of Tsunami, before she grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him to the ground. Her strength was impressive and terrifying; she practically threw Winter like he was little more than a toy. He hissed when he fell on his bad wing. But Tsunami did not let up, and pinned him to the floor. 

“You’ve got three seconds to tell me what in the blazes happened out there!” she snarled in his face. “Or three moons spare me, I will pull out every one of your teeth and feed them to y-”

Brown talons came around her and pulled her off Winter. Clay tried to hold Tsunami back, but she was as fierce and untamable as her namesake. Peril hovered behind them, wanting to jump in to help Clay, but knowing she couldn’t do anything without seriously hurting someone. Qibli helped Winter to his feet, looking between him and the Dragons of Destiny as they all filed into the cave - except for Starflight.

“Tsunami!” Clay still struggled to get the SeaWing under control. “Come on, that’s-”

“No! I want the truth!” In her raging, she managed to accidentally hit Clay’s throat with the point of her elbow. He grunted, dropping her as spluttered into a coughing fit. 

That was enough for Peril. She roared and threw herself in front between Tsunami and Clay. The heat of her scales was so intense, it made the SeaWing back up with a hiss. Peril growled savagely. “Don’t talk to Clay that way!”

Before Tsunami could speak, Glory said a guarded tone: “You have enough explaining to do, Peril. Don’t make this any worse for yourself.”

Qibli narrowed his eyes. “You think we had something to do with what happened out there?”

Winter flinched. Of course he’d been expecting that, but to be accused of potential treason still stung. 

“First,” said Tsunami, counting off her claws, “we have an explosion that seems to put a lot of suspicion on Moonwatcher. Then we learn that it was YOUR-” she pointed at Winter, “-sister that not only set the Cactus pod, but was also out to kill Starflight. Then all of you disappear outside in front of a swarm of our enemies, where it’s revealed that a dragon YOU-” she jabbed a finger at Peril, “-brought here, that you swore was your father and made Moon invite in, turns out to be a spy.”

“You have to admit…” Sunny grimaced. “The evidence is pretty stacked against you.”

Clay brushed his wing along hers. “And now the consequences -”

“Morrowseer found us because of all of you!” Tsunami shouted in passionate fury. “Kinkajou is in a coma, and the doctors aren’t sure if she’ll ever wake up! My brother is scared out of his mind and lost nearly half his body’s worth of blood! And to top it all off, a giant NightWing popped out of the ground and flew off into the sunset with our prime suspect.”

“At least said giant NightWing scared away the other enemies we have?” Sunny said.

Glory stepped into the centre of their gathering. Given that all of them were crammed into Winter’s cave, it was beginning to feel cramped. “All of you have some explaining to do. I suggest you tell us what happened. Now.”

“Let’s start from the beginning,” suggested Clay. “How did you know about Icicle?”

Winter saw Qibli go to answer, but cut him off. “Moon overheard her plotting to kill Starflight. Qibli and I saw her running to the library - that’s when we sent Jambu to find you. We went to see what was happening. I had no knowledge of what my sister planned - I swear!”

There. Technically, he hadn’t lied. And he’d still kept Moon’s secret. 

Quickly whilst no one was looking, Qibli smiled, as if he understood. “Icicle told us that she’d been haunted by Scarlet in her dreams. The SkyWing queen was harassing her to accept a bargain, to kill you all in exchange for Prince Hailstorm, Icicle and Winter’s brother. Scarlet claimed she knew where he was imprisoned.”

Sunny gasped. “A dream visitor!”

“We left because we thought we might track down Hailstorm ourselves. Save him so that Scarlet couldn’t kill him for Icicle defying her.”

“All by yourselves?” Tsunami frowned. “That’s idiotically naive.”

“Wouldn’t you do the same for Turtle?” Winter asked. “Or your sisters?”

Tsunami’s expression was pained, and she looked away.

“How did you get to Morrowseer?” asked Glory.

“It was an ambush all along,” said Qibli. “But one of Blister’s SandWing soldiers gave the game away. We managed to not pass the barrier. Morrowseer wanted to capture us to make Moon invite us in.”

The RainWing queen nodded, and then turned her gaze on Peril. “And how does Soar figure into all this?”

Despite being the most dangerous dragon in the room, when the attention was placed on her, Peril looked panicked. And then she processed the question and bowed her head. “I was an idiot who thought too much good existed in other dragons.”

“You aren’t an idiot, Peril.” Clay rumbled softly. “That was your father. It’s okay to want him to love you.” He came to her, and when he placed a talon on her shoulder, there was a slight sizzling sound, but he acted as if he felt no pain. 

“But it blinded me. I should’ve known he was a spy from the very beginning.”

Sunny tapped a claw against her chin in thought. “Scarlet must’ve been communicating with Soar through her Dreamvisitor. I saw him leaving the mountain once, but he was with a patrol.”

“That patrol reported they lost him for roughly fifteen minutes.” said Glory.

“Whilst he’s inside the barrier, he couldn’t communicate anything to give away Jade Mountain or the magical shield. That’s why Scarlet and Morrowseer didn’t find us till now - not even when she’d been communicating with Icicle. He was leaving the shield to tell her everything.”

“And when we didn’t fall for the ambush,” Winter explained, “he attacked us and tried to drag Moon across the border to her father. That’s when… that’s when the others were hurt. He bit Turtle and smashed Kinkajou’s head on the rocks.”

“And how does the huge, deus-ex-machina NightWing factor into all this?” asked Tsunami.

“That’s the Darkstalker.” Winter couldn’t help the involuntary tremble that ran down his spine at the mere mention of his name. “He was the first animus dragon of the NightWings, and an enemy of my tribe. It’s said he was born under three moons - he has telepathy and foresight. He made himself immortal and so was imprisoned under the earth.”

“You honestly expect us to believe that?”

Clay cleared his throat. “Tsunami… we’ve seen what magic can do… Immortality doesn’t seem that far fetched.”

Winter nodded. “Darkstalker is the dragonet-monster-story for NightWings as well as IceWings. That’s why his sudden appearance frightened them off.”

The reactions from the Dragons of Destiny were mixed. Tsunami still didn’t believe, whereas Sunny and Clay were wide eyed with awe and horror. Glory, however, seemed undecided, her brow furrowing in thought. “So why did he decide to take Moonwatcher?”

“I… I think I know.” Sunny stepped up beside Glory, as if she were equal to the tribe queen. “Well, if Darkstalker is a NightWing animus… then he must be under the same curse as my father. He can’t use his magic. Moon and Morrowseer are the only ones who can give him permission.”

Qibli’s hopped on the spot, as if he could literally pounce on the epiphanies running rampant through his brain. “And Moon is more agreeable than Morrowseer! Think about it. Morrowseer is older than Moon, and has a stronger mental fortitude. Moon would be easier to manipulate to grant him all of his powers back.”

“Then we have to go after him!” cried Winter. “We have to save her before that happens!”

“We can’t.” Glory’s voice was even, her eyes unreadable. “Today, our enemies discovered not only where we are but exactly how to get at us. We might be safe for now - their armies have scattered in fear of this  _ Darkstalker _ , but they will eventually regroup and come after us again. Our priority right now is to form a plan of action.” 

“You believe us?”

Clay nodded. “I believe they’re not traitors.”

“Me too.” agreed Sunny.

“Your explanations match up with what we know and are plausible,” said Glory.

All eyes turned to Tsunami. She was silent for a moment, and then let out a heavy sigh. “No. I don’t think you’re traitors. Sorry, by the way, for threatening your teeth.”

Qibli lifted a wing to whisper loudly: “Don’t worry, I think his smile is crooked too.”

Winter rounded on him. “It is not-!”

“However,” Glory interrupted loudly. “An all powerful NightWing straight from legend? I know that the rumour of such a thing will spread, so I can’t stop that. But that doesn’t mean I have to believe it. Darkstalker - if that is this NightWing’s name - is just an unknown variable in all this mess. It seems he belongs to neither side, so we must act accordingly. Also, we have no idea where he’s gone, seeing as my scouts lost him in the storm. And if he’s not an enemy, then going after him is a waste of resources.” 

The IceWing couldn’t believe what he was hearing! Wasn’t the answer obvious to them?! “But he  _ is  _ our enemy!”

“Then going after him would be stupid and provoking him to retaliate. I won’t endanger this rebellion in that way.”

“What about Moon?” asked Qibli.

“She’ll have to hold out until we can find a way to get her.” Glory paused, and looked at Winter. The edges of her wings turned a deep, mournful blue. “I’m sorry.”

She swept out of the cave, already talking to Sunny about their next steps. Tsunami offered one last apologetic smile before following right after. Clay gave Peril a smile and a quick word of farewell, before leaving too. 

Winter watched them leave, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. To say that he was fuming, was the grossest understatement of the century. “I’m going after them!”

“Winter, no!” Qibli jumped in front of him. “We’ve got no idea where they’ve gone-”

“The Darkstalker headed west. That’s where I’ll start.”

Even Peril seemed alarmed. “What, you’re going to go up and down the coast? In enemy territory? What if Darkstalker took her to an island? Or what if he went west just to fool us and circled back around? Are you going to search all of Pyrrhia on your own?”

“You’re in no condition to fly right now, and we can’t go anywhere - Kinkajou and Turtle need us here.”

He knew they were right. And the reminder of Kinkajou’s condition only made his heart heavy with worry. But worry was useless to him, it only made him feel helpless. The worry turned to frustration - at least he knew how to express that.

“So what am I supposed to do, Qibli?” he shot at the SandWing. “Do you want me to give up? Leave her for dead?!”

“No. I want to get Moon back just as much as you do. But we need more information. We need to know where they went and what we’re up against. If we go in blindly, we’ll probably just end up either captured or dead - neither of which is going to help Moon.”

Again, the words made sense, but it felt like a betrayal to accept that this was all he could do right now. Warmth encompassed his back as Qibli placed his wing over his shoulders. “Please, Winter. Let’s at least get a plan together first. It’s the only way we’re going to save her.”

Reluctantly, Winter nodded.

* * *

Moon awoke slowly, woozy and aching in every part of her body. It was so hard just to open her eyes, to lift her head. The thought of just allowing herself to slip back into slumber was so tempting. But she felt disoriented, uncertain. She lay upon something soft and warm, but her nose was filled with the stink of dampness and mold. A sneeze was building along her snout. Her deepest instinct told her she was in an unfamiliar place, and that was cause for concern. So why did it feel so hard to just get up? 

With great effort, fighting back the hiss of pain from the stabbing in her skull as the light hit her eyes, she awoke. Her joints popped and cracked as she moved for what must have been the first time in hours - if her muscle complaints were any indication. Everything seemed such a colossal effort, that she decided to take it slowly. One thing at a time. 

Focusing on her talons, she realised that she lay upon a bed. The blankets and pillows were old, grimy, damp and half moth eaten. They might once have been a gorgeous wine-red with gold trimming, but were now faded and frayed. The bed upon which she lay was massive, and there were post crumpled to the side which must once have hung great curtains to shield the sleeper from sight. The floor was of grand stonework, littered with dust and debris, but even so the craftsmanship was visible. There was a large hearth for a fireplace across the room, and a large vanity table with a great ornate mirror, so covered with dust and cobwebs that it no longer held a reflection. Through a doorway she could see that another room was adjoined to this bedchamber. 

None of this was familiar to her. Moon fought the rising panic. Where was she? How had she come to be here? She racked her brain for the last memory, though it caused her a slight headache. She remembered Jade Mountain, her father, Kinkajou and the others in danger, releasing Dakrstalker, the vision…

It all came back to her. Suddenly, she didn’t know what to think. It was obvious that she wasn’t in Jade Mountain now, and she couldn’t hear the minds of anyone anywhere around her. Faintly, she remembered Darkstalker’s mental voice within her thoughts whilst she had writhed in the darkness of her own mind. Had he taken her? But to where? Did this mean that everything she’d seen in her vision had come true? Had she been fooled and now was at the mercy of an evil villain straight from a fairytale? 

Laying around would not give her any answers, she thought. So, on stiff legs, she climbed out of the grand bed. At first, she wobbled but soon found her footing. Cautiously, she stepped into the next room. A small living apartment greeted her, complete with old ornaments and furniture, all of it forgotten and ruined long ago. Windows as large as a dragon was tall lined one wall, and must have once been made of the most impressive stained crystal glass. Tearing down vines and rubbing away grime, Moon peered through the clouded glass to try and get her bearings. But nothing looked familiar to her. Mountains linded the north, the ocean lay far to the east and south, and a city in ruins was sprawled far below. Where in Pyrrhia was she…? 

A huge door led out into the hallway. Moon was thankful that it wasn’t locked but couldn’t help wondering as to why. If she was a prisoner, then surely it would be safe to lock her up. Or did Darkstalker have so much confidence in himself that he knew she  _ couldn’t _ escape even with the door open? Either way, Moon didn’t want to take this opportunity for granted, and so moved as quietly as she could to explore. 

The castle she was in was enormous and built like a maze. By the third staircase, Moon knew she was utterly lost, but followed her feet anyway. Every time she came across a window to the outside, she tried to get a new look at the landscape and try to find out where she was. From all the maps that she had studied of Pyrrhia, nothing matched the landscape before her. Logically, it made sense for Darkstalker to take her to some place he felt safe. That meant that this was the ancient kingdom of the NightWings, the home they had abandoned in favour of the volcanic island. The gravity of that idea made Moon gaze upon everything around her with awe. She now walked the halls of her ancestors. In another life, this might’ve been her home; she would’ve been a face amongst a dozen others, no more special than any other. 

From what little Morrowseer had told her of their tribe’s history, she knew that so much of their culture had been lost after centuries lived in exile. What ancient knowledge lay hidden within these walls? Already she was learning so much just from the grandiose architecture of the castle, its furniture and art (what little remained intact), and the layout of the city outside. In every room she came across, things had been left as if they still awaited their masters’ late arrival. The tribe must’ve left in a big hurry if they’d abandoned so much and not once returned for it. 

But how did that help her now? Even after what felt like an hour of searching, she still felt no closer to finding out her exact location nor knowing how to get back to her friends. The gnawing worry she’d felt at the edges of her mind started to grow. Kinkajou had been so badly hurt… was she even alive? And the others must be so worried. She wanted to speak to them so badly, to make sure they were alright. 

In the midst of her despair, her mind caught the ever so slight wisps of a familiar melody in the mind of another. Automatically, she almost reached out to that presence she was so accustomed to. But then she remembered what had happened and where she was. Curious but dreadfully frightened, she went in the vague direction of the mental music.

As she traversed the corridors, Moon realised that the music in her head was actually becoming real. It was the soft twinkling of a music box, simple but lovely. On silent talons she stalked around the edge of the corridor until she made the final turn. 

She only caught a glimpse of him through a doorway, but that was enough to freeze her where she stood. There he was; the being that made her heart skip with excitement at finally seeing her friend at long last, but also terrified her to the bone to look upon. 

And before she could decide whether to enter or run away, Darkstalker turned and met her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * = paraphrasing in loving dedication to Susan Kay


	18. "First" Meeting

Moon had forgotten how to breathe. The world had fallen away and her entire existence had been reduced to a single conflict: stay or flee. 

The dragon in front of her was unlike anything she had ever seen. He looked like a NightWing, mostly, with ebony scales and stars on the underside of his wings. Yet here and there were oddities. His horns were long and twisted, and the spikes along his spine looked more IceWing in length than what was normal. As well as the very end of his tail was whip-thin, as an IceWing’s would be, minus the tail spikes. And he was…  _ huge _ , taller even than her father, though not as large as she was expecting. Moon had always been tall, but she only came to part-way up his neck. Just as she remembered from the brief glimpse she got of him before she fainted, he was painfully thin; ribs and wrist bones clearly visible. 

After a moment, Moon realised that neither of them had said a word, hadn’t moved. They were not even talking telepathically. They just stared at one another. Darkstalker’s eyes were black, and the iris a brilliant silver-blue that shone in the dim light. 

How often had she imagined what he would look like? All those months spent talking in their minds and she had always tried to picture him - but nothing had felt right. She never would’ve thought of an image that straddled the line between familiar and strange. A part of her was excited to see him, to hear his  _ real  _ voice. But she couldn’t let herself forget that he’d taken her, that her vision upon his release from Agate Mountain pointed to him being her worst nightmare. She had to remember that she didn’t know whether she could trust him...

As he began to walk towards her, ducking his head beneath the arch of the doorway to meet her in the hall, Moon found that she could not take her eyes off him. He moved with slow majesty, as though his whole body was informed by the rhythm of a music he alone could hear, and she was stunned by the breathless terror which seized her as he approached.*

A large, toothy grin spread across his long and handsome face. He had the same silver teardrop scales by his eyes as she did. “Oh come now, Moon.” His voice was a beautiful baritone, with perfect articulation. There was still a slight rasp to it, but certainly much improved. “Don’t stare at me like a fish, say something!”

She gulped. “H-Hello.” 

He threw his head back and laughed, making Moon jump. He clapped his talons together delightedly. “A-ha! This is wonderful! Moon, we’re  _ talking -  _ at last! But my, you’re taller than I thought you’d be.”

“Well,” she couldn’t help the corner of her lip quirk upwards - he was beaming at her like a dragonet on their hatchingday. “You’re smaller than I’d imagined a two-thousand year old to be.”

He glanced back over his emaciated body, tutting critically. “Yes, well. Bones need fuel in order to grow properly; and after a few centuries with no food and breaking down my own body-fat, I suppose I had nothing left to give.”

Moonlight filtered through the tall glass windows to her left, casting their two shadows, distorted and strange, down the staircase on their right. Thin and angular, with exaggerated teeth and claws, Darkstalker looked like a ghoul. Moon forced such thoughts out of her mind with a vigorous shake of her head. “I can’t actually believe it’s you, after all this time.”

“I know!” he said. “It’s strange, because I’ve been in your head for two years, so I  _ know  _ you, but meeting you in the flesh feels different, somehow. But I’m so happy! Now we get to do all the things we talked about, all our little plans, Moon - we can make them real now that I’m out!”

He reached a wing towards her, perhaps to sweep her up in his excitement. She ducked aside. “I-I don’t...” She was so nervous, her heart was like a bird stuck in the back of a cave. Darkstalker’s joy was infectious, and she was happy to meet him at last, but his enthusiasm was also a little unnerving right now. With so many questions running about in her head, she wasn’t sure how to feel. 

At her flinching away from him, Darkstalker paused, concerned. “Moon… what’s the matter? After everything, I would’ve thought you’d be happy.”

“I  _ am  _ happy - to see you, I mean, but…” She bit her lip. “I don’t know. It’s so much to process. Everything’s changed so fast.”

“Life is often like that. Look at me, life took a turn that not even I saw coming.”

“But that’s the thing, isn’t it. You  _ can  _ see the future coming.”

“You’re wondering if I knew what would happen outside Jade Mountain and let it.” He growled a sigh, casting a dark look out the window, his face illuminated in silver. “More bad faith planted by your little idiot, no doubt. Moon, do you know how many possible futures there are? Millions upon billions, each one taking into account each change of wind direction or which way sand falls. I can see them, but not even I can keep track of all of them. Clearsight used to - and she often lost sense of what was actually happening in the present because she was too absorbed in the future. I focus on a dozen most likely paths - and even then, I can be taken by surprise.”

Guilt ate at her stomach. Was she being fair to him? He had been one of her oldest friends, and despite his deception in the past, she couldn’t believe him capable of causing her such distress as leading her to that trap. If there was only  _ one  _ thing she knew to be true, it was that he cared for her. “I didn’t mean…”

“I know,” he said gently. He reached out a wing to brush hers, and this time she did not move away. “What happened today was a trial. But it’s alright now. We’re safe.”

“Are we?” It was her turn to look out the window onto the darkened streets of the ruined city far below. “Darkstalker, I had a vision that I can’t make sense of, then I’ve woken up in a strange place, for reasons that escape me. Why  _ did _ you bring me here?”

He looked away, claws scratching at the opposite wrist sheepishly. “You see, you were hurt and I couldn’t leave you like that - but I couldn’t stay at Jade Mountain either. No one would’ve trusted us; we would’ve been made prisoners, most likely. And…” His pointed ears drooped. “I wanted a friendly face, so to speak. This world is all new to me - even my own home. I didn’t want to be alone. Again.”

Pity swelled in Moon’s heart. It abruptly occurred to her how shocking this must all be for him. To her, this place was entirely alien, but to him, he recognised every part of this city, and yet it wasn’t at all as he remembered. She imagined going back to the Rainforest or Jade Mountain to find it destroyed and in tatters - she’d be devastated. And she knew how he felt about his time trapped in the earth before he met her. He hardly spoke of it but when he did he made no secret of how much he’d despised it. 

She didn’t want to subject him to that again, but thinking about Jade Mountain reminded her of her friends and how she’d left them. Were they alright? Was the rebellion still safe? She had to make sure.

“Thank you, Darkstalker, for saving me and my friends.” She reached out to touch his talon, giving his fingers a squeeze. “But I should go home.”

“Already?” 

“They need me. Especially after that vision… I’ve never had something happen like that, where it took over me and said things.”

“Probably means it’s important.”

“Ha.” She rolled her eyes with a smile. But then grew serious. “I need to figure this out. To stop this mysterious apocalypse.”

She went to go down the stairs, when a wing blocked her path. Moon startled. When Darkstalker retracted his wing, she caught a brief glimpse of a line of white scales at the seam where his wing met his body.

“Moon, don’t you realise where we are? We’re in the City of Night! A key line in your prophecy:  _ Hope lies amidst the broken fragments in the lost city of night. _ ” Darkstalker proclaimed in a haughty voice. “You and I can figure this out together, we could find our salvation and stop this terrible future from ever coming true.”

“And what if you’re the doom it speaks of?" she couldn't stop the words coming out of her mouth. "I did receive the vision as you escaped your prison, after all.”

His immediate silence made her stomach want to swallow itself, to be anywhere but under those piercing blue eyes that looked so quietly scorned.

“That’s a little hurtful, Moon.” He rumbled. And then, abruptly, he smiled. “Need I remind you that I am hardly a threat. My magic is still leashed to your will. Unless you gave me permission to do so, I couldn’t enchant a fig to float above my elbow. And you know it’s true, otherwise I would’ve instantly healed your wounds, or made myself a little more presentable.”

Moon looked chastely at the floor. He did have a point, and she felt awful again for continuing to have these niggling doubts. 

“And further proof to clear my name: your prophecy says very clearly that a  _ ‘silver-tongue’  _ is to be your doom. Something I don’t have.” And he proceeded to stick his long, black tongue out of his mouth like a petulant dragonet. “Thwee?”

A snort erupted from Moon's nose. And when she tried to hold it in, she outright laughed. Darkstalker grinned, tongue still poking out from between his lips, which made her laugh harder.

“Moon…” He said softly once she’d calmed. “All I want is to live my life, to not be stuck underground, rotting away. I want to be part of the world. I want to help save it.”

“How?”

“With our powers and our smarts combined, Moon, I am certain we can accomplish  _ anything _ .” He took her talons in his, the scales of his palms rough and calloused from many a time trying to scrabble at unrelenting rock in vain. “Please stay, Moon? At least for a little while? I can help you, and then in the meantime, I could show you the old world - how our tribe used to be. There’s so much for you to learn!”

He made several valid points. Moon’s prophecy did say that the only way to stop this coming catastrophe was hidden somewhere in this city. Wouldn’t it be wise to try and figure it all out? Who better to help her, Darkstalker had already taught her so much even when limited by their distance. Imagine what he could teach her now? 

But still, she couldn’t help but wonder: “What about my friends?”

“Kinkajou will be fine. I can see she will make a full recovery… though I’m puzzled as to how…” the larger NightWing frowned, eyes going distant as he searched the future. After a moment, he didn’t seem to find the answer he was looking for, and shook it off. “And your father and his allies have left the rebellion alone for now. All is well.”

The end of Moon’s tail swished back and forth as she thought. Despite how much she wanted to go home, if everything was fine and she was needed here… “Perhaps I could stay for just a little while…”

“Excellent!” Darkstalker did a small jump for joy. “Now come. I don’t know about you, but I am starving -  _ literally _ .”

The end of his tail darted out to wrap around the handle of the door of the room she’d found him in. He closed it firmly behind him. Sweeping a wing around her, Darkstalker led her to the stairs. Moon tried to look over their shoulders at the mysterious door. She’d only caught a small glimpse inside earlier. It hadn’t looked all the large or special, nor was it located in the more prestigious parts of the castle. It might’ve once been a bedchamber, but surely for no one important as it was too small, the corridor too ordinary. She couldn’t help but wonder why Darkstalker was even here? 

And what did he not want her to see?

“I do hope you don’t mind, but you’ve been asleep for hours, I might’ve already hunted.” Darkstalker was telling her as they walked down the stairs. At the bottom, they crossed a grand foyer, with scones in the walls already lit to show them the way. “Don’t worry though, I was sure to catch enough for both of us for when you did wake.”

“Thank you.” 

It was clear to Moon that Darkstalker had not been idle whilst she’d been unconscious. As they passed the torches on the walls, the shifting shadows brought every harsh spike and tooth into hyper detail on his face. There was a brief moment where he looked frightening, like the monster Winter had whispered about on that snowy night. Though she tried to be rid of these suspicions, she couldn’t help but point out to herself that if she were to stay here, it would be a perfect opportunity to keep an eye on him. She could discover his true intentions, could be sure he was not completely evil. 

**_Surely you haven’t forgotten that I can hear you in here?_ **

Moon gasped, leaping away from Darkstalker’s side. Her heart hammered inside her ribs. She  _ had  _ completely forgotten that he could read her mind. Her ears burned with shame at what he must’ve overheard. “Those thoughts were private.”

He arched a brow. “You didn’t seem to mind so much when we spoke telepathically every day.”

“It’s like you said earlier… it’s strange. I’m not used to dragons I’m talking to also hearing my thoughts. There was always a separation between the real world and the world we created in my mind.”

“Yes, I suppose so.” He frowned. “I don’t know if I could get used to being out of your mind.”

“Me too.” Truly, she didn’t want him to stop being inside her mind. And maybe it was hypocritical of her to demand privacy now when she’d had no problem with it before. Yet now, he was in the real world, he was within reach, and that lack of privacy now felt perilous. “But I also don’t think it’s fair that you get to look through every single thing I’m thinking whilst I can only see what you want me to see.”

He hummed thoughtfully, and then his ears perked up. “How about something to even the odds?”

Quickly, he led her on a detour, lighting a torch to guide them into the darker paths of the castle that he had not previously visited. Moon followed closely, curious as to what he planned this time. He brought her to another small room filled with old, moldy boxes on shelves. Opening them at random, the large NightWing rummaged through each one, muttering to himself. Moon waited on the threshold of the door, craning her neck to try and look at what he was searching for. What had this room once been? Obviously some kind of storage, but not for things such as cleaning supplies. 

“Here we are!” Darkstalker proclaimed at last. He emerged from the room, triumphantly brandishing his find. Between his wicked claws dangled a single earring. A small bright disk of silver with a single diamond at its centre. It was beautiful, but Moon couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d seen it somewhere before. Darkstalker held it out to her. “How about you let me enchant this so that I cannot read your most inner thoughts. I will only hear what you let me.”

“You would do that?” she gaped. “But… I mean, what about your soul? You shouldn’t spend your magic on something so frivolous.”

He snorted. “That whole superstition about magic eating away at a soul is just nonsense.”

“But animus dragons  _ have  _ gone mad. Prince Albatross, Princess Orca…”

“Both of which were too mentally unstable for the powers of an animus. Think about it. One was a prince, abused and bullied into submission and made to feel worthless and afraid for every day of his life. The other, was a princess who was spoilt and given everything she ever wanted. The thing they had in common? They both came to a realisation that their power could let them do  _ anything _ . They snapped under the weight of that knowledge and what it meant for their lives.”

“So magic  _ doesn’t  _ take your soul?”

“I don’t believe so. I mean, I turned out fine.” He splayed the claws of his other talon wide. Moon gave him a look and he shrugged. “Mostly.”

“I would feel better about it if we knew for certain.”

Plunging back into the room, Darkstalker went to one of the first boxes he'd opened. He returned with a silver band that would once have fit around a dragon's neck. It fit well enough on him as a wristband. “Then allow me to enchant this? I’ll make it protect my soul from any magic. Just in case.”

Moon deliberated. She was keenly aware that his magic was her responsibility. And she knew he would be asking for magical favours, it was inevitable. But if they had this kind of assurance, then she would not need to feel such guilt if she let him have the odd spell...

“Alright.” She nodded. This would need to be worded carefully. She thought of Qibli and his quick mind that would think of every possible way things could go wrong and account for it. What would he say? “Darkstalker, I give you permission to enchant that band so that it will protect your soul from the side effects of casting animus magic.”

He didn't say anything for a moment, only stared at her. Dagger shaped pupils within his bright eyes thinned. For a second, a secret instinct deep inside Moon told her to run. But then, he nodded, tapped the band with a claw and uttered the spell.

It was a little disappointing to see no grand spectacle of sparkles in the air or a shiver along some sixth sense. The band didn’t even change in any way, visually. 

“There.” Darkstalker smiled. “Now for the earring.”

“I give you permission to enchant this earring so that whoever wears it, only the thoughts they wish to project will be heard by mindreaders.”

Uttering the spell she had allowed, he held out the jewelry to her. Moon took it carefully, but hesitated to do anything with it. At Darkstalker’s confusion, she pinned her ears back and looked away shyly.

“I… I’ve never had jewelry before…” she murmured.

Darkstalker’s smile was amused but patient. Taking the earring back, he sat on his haunches and bent over her. When he went to pinch her ear, she instinctively cringed away. She’d always liked the idea of owning her own treasure one day, but the thought of something actually piercing her flesh...

“I’ll be gentle.” He rumbled, brushing her tail with his to offer comfort. Moon took a steadying breath and obediently held still. True to his word, he carefully took hold of her ear in one talon and with a fast push, pierced it. Moon hissed, feeling blood trickle down the corner of her jaw. But it quickly dulled. His work done, Darkstalker stepped back. “There. It suits you. Now, let’s have that dinner!”

They found their way back to their original path, and continued on towards the dining hall. Along the way, Darkstalker showed Moon everything there was to see, and even explained a few helpful tips to navigate the castle. As they walked, Moon thought of all sorts of things to see if he would react, but he never did until she willed him to hear her. 

The dining hall was a little smaller than Moon had imagined, though it was still as large as the Prey Centre in Jade Mountain. Darkstalker explained that this wasn’t the banquet hall used at parties, but was instead a more intimate setting the Queen might use for entertaining dignitaries or certain members of court. Marble pillars lined the walls and the floor was of the deepest black stone. A large fireplace on the far side of the room offered warmth from a good fire that Darkstalker had prepared earlier. On the walls were old paintings, discoloured and ripped, to the point that Moon did not even recognise the vague shape of the subject therein. When they entered, Darkstalker was excited to show her an old enchantment: that the chandelier in the centre of the room could light itself up as if with a hundred candles at the snap of his claws. It was mesmerising, each crystal twinkling like a captured star brought down to earth. He explained that Queen Vigilance had wanted proof that Prince Arctic would obey her when he first arrived, and so he enchanted these lights. There were only a few of them in the most important rooms, such as the throne room, ballroom, dining halls and royal quarters, where the Queen could impress. 

“I hope you like venison,” Darkstalker said as they sat at the table. It was made of stone but flawlessly smooth. In the centre of the table lay the bodies of two red deer bucks, their necks snapped cleanly.

She hadn’t been aware that she was hungry before, but the smell of blood made her stomach growl noisily. “I do. Thank you.”

They ate in relative silence. Darkstalker was too busy inhaling his food to be much for conversation. Living on the odd unlucky rodent for the past two years after two thousand in complete starvation would’ve likely made him more appreciative of food. Mood at least tried to be cleaner with her meal. She hadn’t noticed before, but the table had small furrows at the quarter and centre lines where the blood from their kills was whisked away to be collected in a goblet at the end. Very efficient.

As she chewed her food, Moon couldn’t help herself from looking around the room, inspecting the cracks in the walls or cobwebs all about the ceiling. At the opposite end of the table from her and Darkstalker, it was covered in dirt and dust and grime. Evidently, he’d chosen to only clean where they would sit. 

“I promise,” said Darkstalker, noticing her staring. “It never used to look this dreary. A little bit of work and it’ll be as magnificent as it once was.”

“Of that, I have no doubt. Even after all these years, it’s beautiful,” she said. Only half the deer filled her, so when she was done, she pushed the other half towards him. Gratefully, he accepted. Towards the end of his second meal, he finally began to slow, and Moon thought him now more likely to talk. “Did you dine at the palace often?”

“Often enough, but never in  _ here _ ,” he snorted, pouring two cups of water from a jug and handing one to her. “This was the Queen’s personal banquet hall, where only her most prestigious and honoured guests were allowed. My keepers would’ve never let me set one talon here.”

“You’re keepers?” she asked. “What do you mean?”

Darkstalker froze, his cup half way to his mouth. Moon tried to read anything from him, but his mind was as carefully made blank as if he were holding Skyfire.

“It is nothing. I merely meant to say that those of higher rank than I wouldn’t allow it,” he said evenly. Setting his cup down with a loud  _ plock _ , he stood. “You’ll have to forgive me, Moon. The sun is rising and so it is time for me to rest.”

Moon’s head whipped around towards the doorway they had entered through. The windows there indeed were allowing the first glimmers of sunlight to filter through. It must be dawn. Strange, she hadn’t noticed the passing of time.

“I don’t think I’ve stayed up this late since I was a dragonet,” she admitted. “Everyone else in the mountain was awake during the day - I thought it fair that I acclimatized to their schedule.”

“NightWing’s are naturally nocturnal. By wanting to stay up during the night, you are only following what is right for your body.”

She glanced at her bloodied talons. “I don’t know if the modern NightWings would agree.”

“Then that is their problem.” He led her out, snapping his talons again and the chandelier instantly went dark. Moon let him escort her back towards her rooms. “Don’t fret, Moon. By the time you see another NightWing, I’ll have you acting as a true NightWing should. And them? They will beg to be like you.”

It was meant to be a promise of education. She knew Darkstalker didn’t mean anything by it. But as he left her outside the princess’ chambers - now  _ her  _ chambers - Moon couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread. She touched her earring, hoping for any form of comfort from its cold, sterile touch.

* * *

Morning was slow to arrive in the rainforest, as the sun struggled to break through the trees until it reached above the canopy. In these suspended hours between night and morning on the forest floor, the NightWing settlement often took to calling it the ‘between-time’. On a normal day, it would be in these hours that they would wake and get on with their duties. But on this particular morning, the village was already a flurry of activity. 

Their soldiers had been arriving home through the night, exhausted and panicked to get home, to the only place they felt safe. Of course, they arrived and had to tell the first elder or neighbour who came to see them, and soon word of their encounter with a monster of myth spread like wildfire. Morrowseer attempted to keep on top of these whisperings, through bullying and ordering those troops he flew with to remain silent. But of course not even he could stop the rumour mill once it had begun to turn. 

He had to admit, however, he was shaken by what he had witnessed. Though it seemed impossible, there was no other explanation for what had happened. But how? Well, he had a good guess as to how, but the circumstances were… extraordinary. And terrifying. Morrowseer never liked to be taken by surprise, and that had been one of the worst in his life. What’s more, he could see the consequences of this event spiraling out of his control. The devil his tribe had whispered about for centuries had returned before their very eyes. Many were scared out of their minds, and frightened dragons were often prone to irrational displays of disobedience.

“Morrowseer!” shouted a voice across the clearing as he landed in the settlement’s centre. Queen Greatness was storming towards him, her expression angry and clearly fake. Her eyes were wide with fear. “By the three moons, what has happened?!” 

It had been a very long, very taxing two days on Morrowseer’s patience, and it took the last strands of it to hold back his automatic retort and say politely: “Nothing that you need concern yourself with, Your Highness.”

“I think it does concern me!” said Greatness shrilly. “As Queen, shouldn’t I know if our plans,  _ that you did not consult me on _ , should fail?”

“Our plan did not fail - there was merely an… unforeseen element.”

“So I have heard from the soldiers who return half babbling about monsters and ancient legends.” Her wings fluttered anxiously. “Is it true? Has the Darkstalker returned to our world?”

All NightWing parents told the story of the power-hungry evil animus who waited in the dark to gobble up misbehaving dragonets. Even adults believed in the phantom creature bent on revenge against the tribe he believed he should rule and send to the gates of damnation. Said to be a NightWing of unimaginable power with a thirst for blood, it was warned that should the Darkstalker ever rise again, the NightWing tribe would all be doomed. Though he had never been one to believe in all the fairytales, Morrowseer could not deny what his own eyes had witnessed. The Darkstalker, or a dragon much like him, it seemed, was very real.

“There appears to be no other plausible explanation,” he said.

“Moons above…” Greatness whispered in horror. And then, loudly, she said: “We must gather everyone! Morrowseer, we must flee! If the Darkstalker has returned, then he will come for us. We must make haste and-”

He lunged at the would-be queen and wrapped his claws around her snout, forcing it shut. “You will be silent, lest you want your blabbering mouth to start a panic!” he hissed. Several NightWings were staring at them, unsure of what to think of their Queen being manhandled in such a manner. But their fear and respect of Morrowseer kept them still. After a moment, he released the cowed dragoness. “We are not going anywhere.”

“But Morrowseer-”

“If you wish to believe in bedtime stories and run for the hills with your tail between your legs, then go,  _ Queen  _ Greatness,” he spat scathingly. “Your mother would be ashamed.”

“I...I…” she looked helplessly at the crowd. But they were watching her, waiting for her direction. Dejectedly, she looked at the floor. “I will not abandon my tribe.”

“Then there is hope for you yet.” But it would not do to have the Queen be at odds with him. He needed her to rely solely on him and to come to him should she have any  _ ideas _ . So he bowed graciously. “Rest assured, Your Grace, that the Darkstalker is a threat but a modest one at present. Under my  _ guidance _ , we will find a way to ensure the safety of our tribe. One way or another.”

Embarrassed by the spectacle, Greatness did not stick around for long. With a sniff and head held high, she marched away. Morrowseer let her go with a roll of his eyes. 

“You.” He pointed a talon at the errand dragonet who always hung around his office-hut and acted as if he were officially Morrowseer’s manservant. “Fetch me Mastermind and Deathbringer. Immediately.”

The errand dragonet nodded and hurried away as fast as he could. Morrowseer slowly made his way across the settlement, taking his time with each step. It didn’t take long for the errand to return with one of the dragons he requested. 

“Morrowseer!” Mastermind said, flustered. His glasses bounced on his scarred snout. His bloodshot eyes were wide. “What is-”

“I can’t believe the words are coming out of my mouth, scientist,” Morrowseer grumbled, “but I am in need of your scrolls. All those that you rescued from the fortress when we escaped and those you have accumulated since - find me all the information you have on the Darkstalker. Make this your top priority.”

The scientist knew better than to question Morrowseer when he was clearly in this mood. “Y-Yes sir.” and he hurried away, the errand dragonet trailing after.

“You didn’t need to scare the black out of his scales.” said the drolling voice of Deathbringer as he seemed to appear from the shadows of an alley. If he was hoping to impress or frighten Morrowseer, he would be sorely disappointed on both accounts.

“Spare me your smart comments, assassin.” Morrowseer curled his lip at the younger drake. “You are going hunting again. Fetch me Blister and Scarlet - wherever that slippery one has slunken off to. I want them here to plan our next move with all urgency.”

“You’re sending me after that one again?” Deathbringer protested. “Everyone’s scared out of their minds, you think planning your next move for war is a good course of action?”

Morrowseer spun and leaned in closer to Deathbringer’s face, baring his fangs. All he needed was one excuse to rip this whelp’s throat out. Instead, he growled. “They’ll do as they’re told. As will you.”

The assassin was silent, and nodded stiffly. Backing up, he spread his wings and leapt into the morning air. 

Carrying on his journey, Morrowseer made it across the settlement, to the more darker and emptier corners of their new home. A strong building had been erected here, half dug into the floor, with two guards posted outside the doors. As he approached, they stood to attention, one handing over a single key. Ducking inside, Morrowseer closed the door behind him, and made his way over to one of three doors. The entire prison had taken a week to build, the carpenters and iron workers toiled day and night to make it as strong as they possibly could. Morrowseer stepped up to the cell door on the far right, and unlocked it.

Inside the cell lay a dragoness with dull dark green eyes and a scar on her left shoulder. Her wrists and ankles were bound by shackles chained to the wall, and her snout was covered by an iron muzzle. She might’ve once been beautiful, but misery had left her looking weary, with slight lines at the corners of her eyes and mouth. At the sight of her, Morrowseer felt his stomach do an old, familiar dance. 

With the same key, he took hold of her muzzle and unlocked it. She worked her aching jaw for a moment, and then looked up at him tiredly. “And so he arrives, but with good news or ill has yet to be determined.”

“You’re talkative today,” said Morrowseer.

She gestured to a scroll of poetry she had left to the side. “I have very little else to occupy my mind.”

“I would allow you more stimulation if you would behave and  _ eat  _ when the guards are ordered to feed you.”

“Starving myself on the odd occasion is the only way to get you to notice me in here.” She smirked, and  _ there  _ was a piece of the Secretkeeper he married. “I was wondering when you’d deem me worthy of your precious time.”

He sat with a heavy sigh. “I have been busy.”

“So I’ve heard. Storming the mountain to win the war - only you’ve returned much quicker than anticipated.” Her goading fell away as something very serious came over her eyes. In a quiet voice, she asked: “Did you see her? Is Moon alright?”

Images of his daughter falling to the ground with a cry of pain, clutching her head, filled Morrowseer’s mind. Secretkeeper did not need to know those details. “Considering how your lack of judgement around her got you into this predicament, I would’ve thought you’d keep her as far from your mind as possible.”

“Damn you, Morrowseer!” Secretkeeper roared, suddenly leaping to her feet. Her chains snapped taut, halting her mere inches before she could touch him. “She is my daughter!”

“And mine as well!” Morrowseer snapped back furiously. “A fact you forgot when you hid her away.”

“Because of this very reason!” She grabbed hold of her chains and held them up for him to see. He saw instead the old chafing scars on her wrists where her shackles had rubbed over and over during her two year imprisonment. Secretkeeper’s voice dropped, her eyes misty. “Once, you were a drake that I loved more than anything else. You laughed and you were passionate for life. But then something happened - right before Oasis died, and you have never been the same since.”

“Life happened, Secretkeeper,” he said tightly. “The cruel realities of this world became fully known to me and I knew I had to fight fire with fire.”

“And yet, for all your fierceness, you never once noticed the misery around you-”

“Never noticed?” he echoed incredulously. “I watched you fall apart every time we lost an egg, I grieved for our lost hatchlings too! And with every one of them that we lost, it drove me harder to make our world better for them!”

“And still, you don’t see how special Moonwatcher is!” Secretkeeper reached out, this time as if to take his talons in hers, but her chains stopped her just short. “She is our dragonet, Morrowseer. Our only living daughter. She is a gift that you never appreciated, because to you, the tribe always comes first.”

“You’re wrong.” He said in a cold voice. “I do understand how special she is. I see in her everything our tribe could be, I see it and I know it is  _ my daughter  _ who shall stand head and shoulders above the rest. But as much as that may be true, the fact remains: Moon has a duty… Or should I say  _ had.” _

“What do you mean?” panic in the mother’s voice made his stomach constrict with foolish jealousy. “Is she alright? Did something happen to her?!”

“The last I saw, she was alive and I have reason to believe she will remain that way.” His words had an immediate calming effect on his wife. “But you will be pleased to note that I no longer have need of Moonwatcher as a mere weapon.”

“Then what…?”

“A bigger prize has entered the game, Secretkeeper.” He snatched up her muzzle and captured her head in his talons, sliding it back into place and snapping the lock shut. All the while he pictured the Darkstalker erupting out of the ground, likely at his daughter’s behest, and sweeping her away to save her from any harm. “The most powerful dragon in Pyrrhian history is a dog at the beck and call of our daughter, it seems. I will lure Moon to us, and thereby lure him. Two for the price of one. And  _ you  _ will help me accomplish that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * = paraphrasing in loving dedication to Susan Kay


	19. Wake, Sleeping Beauty

The SandWing sat on the floor was old, her horns cracked and the dewlap beneath her throat was wrinkled and sagged. She often had to squint in order to see, and her joints clicked loudly whenever she was still for too long. Behind her, two younger SandWings, likely her grown offspring, tried to stand as menacingly as they could. Theirs was a family that had relied too heavily on the respect garnered by previous generations; they hadn’t ever needed to prove themselves. 

Not like the ones opposite them. Two dragons met the elder on the floor, young and grinning - eager for bloodshed. Behind them was an older male in a chair, shrouded in the shade afforded to him by the high sided buildings that penned this meeting in. At dawn, all civilians that neighboured this alley had been warned not to come near for their own safety. No interruptions would be allowed. And though the citizens of the Scorpion Den were made of the hardiest and lowliest dragons of the Kingdom of Sand, they knew better than to cross the Talons of Power.

“This is hardly neutral ground, as I requested,” grumbled the old dragoness. The drake in the chair peered down his nose at her, only the gleam of his eyes and the flash of a gold coin in his claws could be seen.

The young female SandWing grinned. “Oh, we did consider your request,  _ very  _ carefully.”

“But then,” snorted her broader brother, “we remembered that we don’t stoop to your level. You do as you’re told, when you’re told. Ain’t that right?”

Behind the elder, her sons hissed and brandished their tails. But one stern glare from their mother and they quieted - reluctantly. She spat on the floor. “Let us get to the point. For two years, there has been peace between our family and the Talons of Power. We pay what you ask, we stay away from your game rings. But now you have set fire to our establishments. We want an explanation.”

Shrugged the young male, scratching his neck. “Couldn’t’ve been us. We were… What were we doin’, Rattlesnake? Oh that’s right - Bugger all.”

“It’s none of your business, what we do,” said Rattlesnake. “We don’t owe you anything. It’s you who owe us.”

The figure in the chair watched as the old she-dragon flared her creaky wings with outrage, nostrils puffing hot air. She looked past the younger enforcers to snarl directly at him, though she dared not move towards him. “You think you can bully us around? Vulture! I was running the western oases when you were still fresh from the yolk! I won’t sit here and be lorded over by street-rats descended from gutter-rats!” 

Rattlesnake and Sirocco boiled over with fury. They would not stand for insults, and as with all youngsters, they took every slight to heart and had very little trust in patience. They were ready to tear out the elder’s throat for her words. The figure in the chair waited until their muscles had coiled to spring, and then gave a loud cough. 

They froze, but did not look happy to do so. Rattlesnake, especially, had her brow furrowed and her claws dug in the sand. She wanted to pretend not to have heard him. Impertinent female. When the figure cleared his throat once again, his lackeys knew he meant business, and so moved back obediently.

“Very bold words, Madam Barbary,” said the figure. He leaned forward in his seat, moving into the sunlight. Vulture was getting old, with wrinkles at the corners of his eyes and mouth and his cheeks going gaunt. But he was not nearly so old as Barbary. He huffed in amusement as his black eyes studied the older female on the floor. “I don’t know whether to find you brave or stupid. You  _ can’t  _ be stupid. No one would be stupid enough to come into my city and disrespect  _ me _ in such a manner.”

Barbary put her nose in the air haughtily. “You won’t touch me.”

“No, you wouldn’t be that stupid…” Vulture continued as if she hadn’t spoken, “unless you had some kind of assurance of safety. Like a powerful business partner, to be exact? Someone who would be very interested in the destruction of my empire in the north of the desert.”

Barbary went still, her eyes darting to the roofs on either side of the alley. Vulture looked there too. Of course, she thought she had the rest of her gang up there in secret to spy on the events and jump in when necessary. But he’d known she’d do that. She would’ve actually been imbecellically stupid if she had come to this meeting with just her and her sons like he’d asked. He supposed there would be a platoon of enemies up there, had he not ordered his own dragons to intercept them at the city gates. When no rescue seemed to come immediately, Barbary tried to muster her composure, but it was already too late. Vulture had seen her falter, even if no one else had.

“Two days ago,” said Sirocco in his deep, monotone voice, “a shipment of ours was struck by the Sand-Boys. They knew the route our thugs would take, what time to expect them, even what was in the cargo.”

Rattlesnake took an eager step forward, unable to help herself. “And four days ago one of our soldiers was found in an alley with his throat slit after visiting a brothel. We checked the register - turns out one of your pretty daughters had decided to take up a new career a long way from home. She vanished that same night.”

Barbary looked scandalised. “You think I’d debase my daughter by having her pose as a whore to gain information on just  _ one  _ of your little shipments? Why would I do that, who would I tell?” 

“Gila,” said Vulture simply. He loved being the showman. He loved watching how his big reveal of the mob boss in the north caused a flurry of emotions in the old dragoness. “You see, Barbary, those poor sods at the mail checkpoints are good friends of mine. They told me that you had been sending along messages to Gila, telling him all the information about our shipment. Why? Because you wanted someone to keep me busy whilst you sent your thugs to muscle in on my territory. You wanted to try to do the job that you think I can’t - all to try and get Queen Blister’s favour. Then you’d share the spoils with Gila.”

At least she didn’t try to deny it. “You haven’t found where Thorn or her Ourclaws hide. We might as well try.”

“And you’re welcome to.” Vulture leveled his gaze on Barbary, staring unblinking into her eyes, the gold piece flipping between his claws. “In your own territory. And then you’ll report your findings to me, because I run your pathetic cluster of oases.”

“Your threats don’t scare me.”

“Because of your little pact with Gila? I’d hate to burst your bubble but… Gila is dead.” He lounged back in his chair as Barbary’s expression dropped with horror. “You see, my grandchildren are not much: Rattlesnake is vicious and Sirocco is strong, but between the pair of them they can’t accumulate two brain cells. But I was impressed with how they handled the situation.”

“We drowned him,” said Sirocco. “Took him out into the sand, and we weighed him down.”

“A small storm upended an entire dune on his head,” Rattlesnake finished. “He won’t be coming to your rescue.”

“So now it circles back to my earlier question, Barbary,” Vulture held up the piece of gold to the light, appraising each side. “Are you brave or stupid? We ruled out you aren’t  _ completely  _ stupid. But we both know you aren’t brave - you never have been. That’s why you get your sons to do all your work for you, even so far as to make them kill their own wives and daughters so you won’t be challenged for your position. And your sons? Well. I’ve had a talk with them, Barbary, and I have to tell you… they aren’t that impressed.”

She spun to face her two sons, who had been rather quiet this whole time. They eyed her, their gazes dark and stoic. She stared at them, mouth gaping like a fish. Vulture flicked his claws and the piece of gold sailed through the air and landed neatly in the eldest son’s talon. He nodded.

As one, the two brothers lunged at their mother. She screamed and fought back, but she was old and frail. And as Vulture had explained, she was not a fighter, but she had made her sons into killers. Her wings ripped easily under their claws and her throat bloodied from their teeth. They stabbed her with their tails over and over, until almost all her body’s blood had stained the sand red, then black. When they were done, the sons stared at Vulture for a moment, nodded, and then hurriedly left. 

“Boss!” hissed a voice. 

Vulture glared over his shoulder as one of his hooded Talons rushed into the alley and ran right up to him. He was only appeased when they offered him a pill of chalk. Plucking it from their talon, he threw it into his mouth and began to chew methodically. “Yes, yes, what is it?”

“More soldiers flying overhead, sir!” whispered the hooded dragon. “More of Blister’s army returning from their trip east. We should go before…” they gestured their head at the body in the street. 

“What on earth has them all going off in such a fuss?” he questioned, more to himself than anyone in particular. 

Blister’s forces had been arriving back to the desert in their flocks all through the night. Some were faster or stronger flyers than others so they made it home before the rest. Of course, such a stir had been the talk of town, and as a drake of business, Vulture wanted to be sure that this wouldn’t affect said business. He’d had a spy in the nearest barracks tell him what had happened. It was mostly nonsense, though the one recurring theme was that a dragon their NightWing allies called “Darkstalker” had emerged and single-talondly stopped the entire army from exterminating the rebels. 

Vulture wasn’t sure how much of this was true. But as he chewed his chalk and pondered these rumours, he decided to keep an eye on things. One could never tell when things like this might come in handy. 

* * *

“WHAT?!” 

Qibli winced, the roar of such a strangled voice hurt his ears. The hawk on the ledge didn’t appreciate the noise either - Dinner screeched and flapped about on her nest, furious. Sunny growled, exasperated, and tried to calm the bird. Qibli sat back at the edge of the cave, trying to be supportive as Sunny told her father the news whilst also trying not to intrude. 

Stonemover tried to sit up, but his crippled back and wings refused to let him do so painlessly, so he ended up half laying, half propped up on his arms. Qibli had learned to be used to Stonemover's disability. The first few times he'd come here, every glance at the torn, misshapen wings had made his stomach churn. The gloomy setting hadn't helped either, it always felt like a tomb. At least Sunny had cleaned the cave of old bones and blown in debris. Stonemover even had blankets, pillows and candles to make him more comfortable. Starflight had lent Stonemover some scrolls for reading to occupy his mind. And with Sunny bringing her father food, he didn't have to rely so much on the scraps Dinner brought him, so he was back to a healthy weight. 

When Dinner had finally calmed down, Sunny turned back to her panicking father. She'd told him about the events of yesterday. They'd expected him to freak out about Morrowseer, after all, it had been the threat of Morrowseer finding him in the desert that had led Stonemover to exile and cripple himself here. But instead, Stonemover had panicked over the news of Darkstalker. 

“Are you sure?” he asked. Usually his voice was subdued and slow, but where he was trying to talk fast, it was coming out a raspy stutter. “Do you… do you know-”

“Winter seems to think so," said Qibli.

“He sprung up from the ground, father. He’s the biggest dragon I’ve ever seen.”

“Then… he’s escaped from his… eternal prison.” Stonemover collapsed to the ground, so that his arms were free to grab hold of his daughter's talons in his. “Sunny, you must leave. Fly. As far as you can.”

She gaped at such a suggestion. “What? No! I won’t abandon my friends, or you, or what we’re doing here.”

“You don’t… don’t understand.” A violent tremble wracked through Stonemover's body. “Take Starflight. Take Fatespeaker. Every NightWing must go. Far… far away.”

Qibli stepped forward, brows furrowed as he thought “All the NightWings panicked when they saw him too. Why are you all so afraid of him?”

“Because…” Stonemover released Sunny's talons to stare, terrified, at his own claws. “We made him what he is. He used his magic… he’s the reason for Glassreader’s spell… So we would never have another  _ him _ . We escaped him once… but we always knew he’d come back. No NightWing is safe.”

Qibli and Sunny exchanged a look. “Escaped him once? Father, what do you mean?”

“The volcano.”

“Three moons!” the answer hit Qibli in the face like a punch from his older brother. “ _ He’s  _ the reason you left the mainland?”

“Had to. Had to make sure… he never found us.”

“But if he was defeated once, he can be defeated again.”

Stonemover shook his head. “You… you don’t understand. He was made to destroy.” 

Qibli puzzled over that peculiar statement. Yes, the Darkstalker had looked very frightening when he'd erupted out of the ground. And certainly the idea of an animus meant they were perfect weapons of war. If the NightWings were  _ this  _ scared of him, it only made the ball of dread in Qibli's stomach grow larger. Moon was left alone with this thing everyone was so afraid of, and he couldn't think his way out of this one.

A noise rang in Qibli's ears, making him wince again. The old NightWing was keening loudly. Dinner screeched and flew from her nest and out the hole to the sky. Sunny hurried to her father, who's eyes were wide and his jaw shivering. 

“Father… father…” she tried to get through to him but his panic attack was too strong. “Stonemover!” she shouted and grabbed hold of his face, forcing his mouth shut. Shocked back to his body, Stonemover stared up at his daughter. Gently, she pressed her forehead to his. “It’s alright now.”

“No…" he mumbled around her claws. "No it’s not… the Darkstalker-”

“Is gone. He left Jade Mountain without hurting anyone, and Tsunami and me have already retracted his ability to get past the shield. We’re safe.”

“Stonemover,” Qibli said softly, so as not to alarm him. He stepped up beside Sunny, putting a wing around her shoulders when he noticed her shaking. “Isn’t there anything you can do?”

He looked glumly at the floor. “Not without permission.”

_ Not without Moon, _ Qibli corrected in his head. He’d been doing his best to keep her out of his mind, that way it was easier not to sink into despair - at least, in theory. In practice, however, it was hard not to. There was no way to know if she was alright. What if she was being tortured in order to give over permission for Darkstalker to use whatever spell he wanted? The worry had made him stay awake all night studying the map of the continent, trying to figure out where Darkstalker might’ve taken her. But all he came up with was dead ends and exhaustion.

There was also that prophecy Moon had spoken before she’d collapsed. It had been so creepy. Her eyes had gone white, and her voice had been distorted. Every spare minute Qibli got, he puzzled over the riddle to try and work it out. The entire scenario was so confusing. 

“Did the scouts manage to find anything?” he asked Sunny quietly. 

The golden hybrid sighed; she knew exactly what he was talking about. “Glory’s had them searching since the storm passed. Not one of them has reported any sign of him. It’s like he vanished.”

“We should be so lucky...” he muttered.

“Starflight is driving us up the walls trying to figure out all this.” She waved a talon vaguely. “We have no idea what Darkstalker wants or where he’s gone, and because we don’t know, we can’t prepare.”

“So, what  _ are  _ you going to do?”

“We’ve all agreed that there’s nothing we  _ can  _ do - except take precautionary measures. Though that doesn’t feel like much.” 

Anything had to be better than nothing, Qibli guessed. Tsunami and Sunny had done the right thing by retracting Darkstalker’s access to the mountain. It was obvious that he’d been inside the shield when it was first erected, so had no need for an invitation. At least now they knew they were safe from him should he decide to come back. What’s more, they also needed to keep Morrowseer and Blister on the forefront of their minds and prepare for future attacks from them. His mind spun through suggestions he could make to Glory later on how to command her troops when they were out in the field. Maybe they should also study the pit Darkstalker erupted from, it might have clues to -

A soft rumble drew Qibli’s head up. Stonemover was purring to Sunny, trying to get her attention. She had her back to everyone, her head bent. Her father tried to nudge her with his nose, his green eyes anxious. Sunny sniffed loudly and drew her head back up straight, forcing a smile for them. Now Qibli felt awful. Here he was, wrapped up in his own problems that he forgot Sunny had her own troubles. What would Thorn think of him for letting her daughter suffer like this? He twined his tail with hers, careful of his venomous barb.

“I’m sorry.” Sunny tried to wipe away her tears, but that only seemed to cause them to come faster. “It just… it feels like everything’s falling apart!”

Qibli reached for her. “It’s not-”

“Don’t treat me like I’m a dragonet - the others do that enough!” She stepped away from him, her face contorted with rare anger. “Morrowseer found us, he knows we’re here and could come for us at any time. The shield will keep him out, but what are we supposed to do? And then there’s Scarlet, who can get to any of us in our dreams. And now…  _ this!” _

She flopped to the floor beside her father. Stonemover looked at Qibli helplessly, and then back down at his daughter. There wasn’t much advice the SandWing drake could give. Usually the heart of the Dragons of Destiny, Sunny was always the one to cheer everyone else up. Qibli had always been inspired by her to see the bright side to everything. To see her like this… it broke his heart.

“I just thought… if I believed hard enough… it would turn out alright.” She covered her talons over her snout to hide her face. “But Morrowseer was right. Fate isn’t real, the prophecy isn’t real, so everything I’m doing is a waste of time.”

Qibli wanted to reach out to her, let her know that everything was going to be alright. But would she mind that, or find it an invasion of her personal space? 

“Sunny…” Stonemover whispered.

She looked up, face streaked with tears. Expression torn - as if he were in the same internal debate as Qibli - Stonemover slowly reached his arm around her and pulled her in close against him. There was a terrible creaking sound, and then his wing was dragged along the floor. He ground his teeth against the pain, but the old NightWing forced his useless wing to move and cover his daughter like a blanket. Sunny leant into her father’s neck, and he embraced her back.

Qibli watched them with awe and envy. Stonemover’s evident love of his daughter moved him. He wondered what it would be like to have a parent who loved him that much, who comforted him when he needed it. It was best not to dwell on what he wished was true, he decided, and instead just be happy for Sunny.

“I’m… sorry,” Stonemover said as he let her go.

“Don’t be.” Sunny smiled. This time, when she wiped away her tears, they stayed gone. “It’s alright. Thank you.”

“If… If anyone can do this… it’s you.”

It wasn’t long after that that Sunny and Qibli decided to leave and let Stonemover rest. As they made their way out, they heard the shriek of a hawk as Dinner returned, evidently waiting for them to leave and stop bugging her master. Qibli loved being around other dragons, loved attention and making friends, so it kind of baffled him how Stonemover could be so content with just a bird for company most of the time. Ah well, to each their own. 

Though he could’ve easily gone faster than Sunny, he decided to walk alongside her, slowing his usual pace in order to match hers. Everything was so busy most of the time, that it had been a while since they’d had some time together. He remembered when he’d first met the little weird-looking SandWing, his initial jealousy when it’d turned out she was Thorn’s daughter. Of course, he’d thought no one could be good enough for Thorn, until he went with Sunny on her trip to find her father. She’d impressed him, and had wormed her way into his heart without even knowing. Thorn hadn’t even had to try very hard to convince him to watch over Sunny as her unofficial protector whilst he was with the rebellion. She was the sister he’d always wanted.

“You received any messages from your mother?” he asked, trying to make the mood light.

Sunny smiled. “Yes. Her latest letter was about how she wants to send Sixclaws’ dragonet, Ostrich, to live with us.”

“That’ll be great.” He grinned. “When I didn’t obey the rules, I was grounded to watch over Ostrich when she was a hatchling - she’s adorable.”

“Mother says it’ll be safer for her here behind the shield.”

Qibli studied Sunny’s face for a moment. “You think she’s in trouble.”

“No. Mother always says she’s  _ fine _ .” At Qibli’s snort, she rolled her eyes and smiled. “I know. I think she knows how frustratingly vague that statement is and uses it anyway.”

“Tell me about it. Sometimes I swore she used to say things like that just to stress me out. She enjoys my pain.”

Sunny moved a wing between them to try and hide her giggle. “You know, sometimes I wonder what it would’ve been like if Dune hadn’t stolen my egg. If I’d had a mother all along.” She tried to put on her most daring face, but it only made her look constipated. “I might’ve been an Outclaw too.”

It was very hard to swallow his laughter. “You would’ve been the best Outclaw.”

“You think so?”

“Yeah…” he couldn’t help it, and sniggered. “Right up until you wanted to hug everyone.”

She shoved him, making him laugh harder. He swiped a wing at her, which she ducked and dashed underneath him to give him a kick in the stomach. The air rushed out of him and he hunched, groaning. Damn, he’d forgotten that she was fast - and good. Maybe she would’ve made a decent Outclaw after all. 

They laughed together for a moment. Sunny’s smile was as bright as her namesake as she helped him up. “You and I would’ve been real siblings, Qibli.”

He bumped her shoulder with his. “We kind of are, aren’t we?”

“I guess we are,” she said, and Qibli felt grateful for being able to make one person happy. “When are you next writing to Thorn? She asks about you, you know.”

“She does?” He asked a little too eagerly.

“Yeah. She says to stop sending  _ daily  _ reports.”

“Nah. Thorn loves it when I bug her like this. She only complains for the sake of appearances.”

They walked on in comfortable silence. For a moment, Qibli lost his own imagination in what might have been. But that was cut short when they rounded the next corner and nearly got trampled by a marching Winter. The tragic look on the IceWing’s face was enough to remind Qibli exactly of what was going on in the real world. He felt guilt for forgetting about everything bad that was going on, even if for only a few minutes just to make Sunny smile.

“Prince Winter,” Sunny said with a bow of her head. “Is everything alright?”

Getting over his surprise at seeing them in the corridor, Winter put on his business-as-usual scowl. “Sunny, I demand to know what it is you and the Dragons of Destiny plan to do to get Moon back. By sunset, she’ll have been a full twenty-four hours in that monster’s claws. We need to do something.”

“We’ve been a little busy-”

“Then we’ll go right now,” he moved as if to herd her the way he was going. “I feel like I should help make our strategy-”

Before Qibli could jump in to stop Winter’s bullying, Sunny dug in her feet and pushed one talon on the IceWing’s chest. “No. You won’t.”

“What?”

“Winter, you need to give us time,” Sunny said firmly but diplomatically. “Glory explained that we cannot go charging across the continent. We have allies that are in need of us. Would you rather we leave them open to attack because we’re too busy trying to  _ figure out  _ where Darkstalker is, let alone trying to take him on?”

The prince seemed a little ashamed of his own thoughtlessness. “I… n-no, that’s not-”

“I understand you’re worried about Moon. We all are. But we need a plan, we need information. Give us a couple of days to come up with a plan - one that won’t endanger our allies, and then I promise we will help you in any way we can.”

Qibli couldn’t stop himself from smiling proudly. For the smallest, non-threatening dragon he’d ever met, Sunny was turning out to be quite authoritative. 

“That…” Winter tried to come up with some response, but conceded with a heavy sigh. “I suppose you have a point. I apologise, Sunny.”

“We should get going,” Qibli said, stepped up beside his friend. “Time to check on Kinkajou and Turtle in the infirmary.”

Sunny nodded. “Yes, of course. I heard that the healers said Turtle can leave - must’ve looked worse than it actually was. See you later!”

Qibli and Winter said their goodbyes and watched Sunny walk down a different tunnel towards the Prey Centre. The pair waited a moment, to be sure that Sunny was definitely out of earshot.

They looked at each other and nodded. “Come on, let’s find Peril.”

As planned, they found Peril and immediately made their way to the infirmary as a group. As they came into the sunlit cave, they saw that there was only one of the RainWing healers present. The room was filled with the heavy fragrance of burning roots that made Qibli want to sneeze. Kinkajou was laid exactly as they had last seen her the day before, on the furthest bed, scales gone milk white. Turtle sat by her bedside, a bandage wrapped around his shoulder. 

“Hey, Turtle!” Qibli greeted cheerfully as they came inside. “Glad to see you’re up and about! How’re you feeling?”

“Better.” He gave them a half-smile. “Tsunami's here any chance she gets, her worrying would be sweet if she wasn’t so  _ murdery  _ about it.”

“Did you cast a -  _ ohfff!”  _ Peril grunted when Winter poked her ribs with a metal prong. Even that brief contact made it turn yellow with heat. SkyWing and IceWing glared at each other before she realised what he meant. “Err, I mean, did you do some, err…  _ special SeaWing treatments? _ Is that why you’re okay so quick?”

Turtle eyed the Healer, but he seemed too focused on sorting through his stash of herbs. “Um, yes? The wound wasn’t very deep, and just a little  _ special SeaWing treatment  _ helped it along nicely.”

Turns out the Healer had been listening, he snapped his claws as if striking upon an idea. “Ahhhhh so that’s how he did it… Thought I was losing my coconuts for a second.”

None of them could talk freely with him here, Qibli realised.

“Hey!” he called out, jogging over to the small RainWing. “Bullfrog, right? I know you’ve been at this for hours. Why don’t you go get some sleep, alright? Don’t worry about Kinkajou - we’ll watch over her. And if anything changes, we’ll come get you straight away.”

Bullfrog thought about it for a moment, but the heaviness of his eyes decided for him. “That… that would be nice…” he yawned and slowly made his way out, mumbling to himself. “I’ve been missing out on my suntime…”

Qibli followed him to the entrance, smiling widely the whole time to reassure him. RainWings weren’t great at interpreting subtle expressions. He carefully watched Bullfrog walk away and go down the corridor until he was out of sight. Only then did he get to work.

“Okay, he’s gone,” he said, pulling the curtain of vines across the entrance. “Turtle, what happened?”

“Soar nearly took a chunk out of my neck,” Turtle groused, pulling off his bandage so that they could see the injury that had scabbed over, nearly healed. “At the time, I just enchanted the wound to stop bleeding. And then when the others found us, Tsunami was so worried, I couldn’t heal it right away or she’d be suspicious - so I made it seem not as bad as it was, and healed overnight. Blamed my fatigue on terror. Which wasn’t a lie.”

“Can you heal Kinkajou?” asked Winter.

He nodded firmly. “Sure. I haven’t been left alone with her until now in order to try. The healers were with us all through the night. They think it’s internal damage.” The SeaWing leaned over Kinkajou’s body, his face pulled with misry. “I can’t bear to see her like this…”

“Winter, keep a look out.” Qibli said. For once, the IceWing didn’t grumble about being given orders, and did as he was told. “Turtle? Use this,” He reached up and plucked a flower from one of the vines overhead and gave it to the SeaWing.

Turtle cupped the flower in his talons and closed his eyes. “ _ I enchant this flower so that when I place it in Kinkajou’s mouth, she will be completely healed of all her injuries and be as healthy as she was two days ago.” _

Carefully, he opened her mouth and placed the flower on the tip of her tongue. Letting her mouth close, he stepped back, spine stiff as he waited for something to happen.  _ Poor Turtle, _ Qibli thought,  _ always thinking that something bad was going to happen every time he moved _ . A tense moment of silence fell over the group as they waited. Would the spell work? Was the damage too great for even magic to heal? Qibli didn’t think so, magic was said to be able to do almost anything. But what if -

Kinkajou suddenly bolted upright with a loud gasp of air. Qibli and the others jumped. The RainWing’s scales popped through all the colours of the rainbow, some in alarming shades. But then, her scales settled on cloudy blue mottled with green - confusion. She peered down at them, a frown on her face. The whole group stared at her, waiting to see if it really was Kinkajou back to normal.

“Hey everyone…” she said, looking at them all with a big frown. “Was there a party? Did I miss all the fun?”

They all swarmed around her bedside, with big smiles and merry voices. “Welcome back!” someone shouted. “What do you remember?” said another voice. “Are you okay?”

“Whao, whao, whao…” Kinkajou tried to push them back, but her scales had returned to their usual pink and yellow radiance. She touched her head, as if checking that it was supposed to be sore, and getting confused when it wasn’t. “Last thing I remember, we were fighting the bad guys - OH! I’m as thick as a rock! What happened to Morrowseer! Did he get in? Did we venom-blast his face off?!”

Winter looked relieved. “Good to know all her memories are still intact.”

“Yes, well done, Turtle,” said Peril in a voice that was kind-of sarcastic, eyeing the SeaWing next to her. “Makes me wonder what else you could fix.”

Turtle looked up at her, wounded, and Qibli all of a sudden knew why they hadn’t been speaking for the past few days. But it was obvious Turtle felt guilty, it was written all over his face. “Peril… I…”

“Forget it,” she turned away from him, pretending he didn’t exist. Smoke billowed out her nostrils. 

“Guys!” Kinkajou shouted, waving her talons in the air. “I’m still over here all clueless and everything! Tell me what I missed!”

So, the group took it in turns to bring Kinkajou up to speed. They explained why Soar attacked her, how she’d been used as a hostage against Moon, and everything about Darkstalker. That had needed a little explaining, as Kinkajou had almost forgotten the legend that Winter had told them that snowy night. All throughout, Kinkajou listened intently, which was rather unlike her to not interrupt them with her usual talkative behaviour. But she did take this very seriously.

“Okay.” she said, stamping her foot, angry red and black colours spreading over her scales. “Soooooooooooooo we  _ need  _ to get Moony back.”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” cried Winter.

“We can’t.” Qibli shook his head. This was the one point where he agreed with the Dragons of Destiny’s decision to not go charging off. “We don’t know where Darkstalker’s taken Moon.”

Kinkajou scoffed. “Back to their creepy island, obviously.”

“Yeah,” said Peril, “isn’t that why the NightWings are in the rainforest right now? Their last home got blown up.”

“No. Stonemover said the NightWings went to the island to get away from Darkstalker the first time. If he’s gone anywhere, he’s gone to their old kingdom… and we don’t know where that is.”

“And it’s not like we could go strolling through the wilderness to look,” said Turtle solemnly. “The SandWing/NightWing alliance already found us once. Who’s to say that they haven’t left soldiers out there waiting for another opportunity?”

Winter growled. “You sound like the Dragons of Destiny. Making excuses.”

“Turtle’s got a point, freeze-face,” Peril shot back. “It’s too dangerous. And if Clay and the others say to stay, we should listen to them.”

“He promised he’d be back…” Qibli murmured. He was merely thinking out loud, but when the others looked at him curiously, he explained: “Darkstalker. He said he was going to come back, eventually. I wonder why he didn’t talk to you, Turtle? If he’s meant to be a mindreader, then surely he’d know you were an animus. If I were him, you would’ve been my biggest concern, not Winter. No offence.”

“Um…” the SeaWing fiddled nervously with the bag that always hung around his neck. “That might be because I made him think I didn’t exist?”

“What did you do?” Kinkajou asked.

From his pouch, he pulled out an ordinary stick. He gripped it firmly in his claws, like if he dropped it, the world would end. “When he came out of the ground… I watched his eyes. He saw me… and I got this funny feeling… like he  _ hated  _ me. Hated me as much as he hated when Winter gave him orders. So I enchanted the first thing I could reach. I made it so that he couldn’t see or hear me, couldn’t hear my thoughts or in the thoughts of others… I wanted my whole existence erased from his perception and memory. So long as I hold this stick, I don’t exist to him.”

Qibli had to bite his lip and look away, pushing down all those feelings of jealousy. He’d had to do this a lot since he’d discovered that Turtle was an Animus. It just didn’t seem fair. Qibli knew he was smart, it was the only thing he had going for him. But he wasn’t special - he didn’t have the title or good looks like Winter, or the special powers like Peril and Moon. He couldn’t even get his own mother to love him. How often had he wished for something like Animus-magic? The good he could do with it; he was clever enough to avoid any bad spells. But instead, he got nothing, and a dragon like  _ Turtle  _ got all the power instead: a cowardly dragon who wasted his powers on staying hidden and unnoticed rather than do something worthwhile. 

And then, Qibli felt the usual stab of shame he always did when he let his thoughts get away from him like this. It wasn’t Turtle’s fault that magic had chosen him. And he wasn’t being a good friend by thinking these thoughts about him. It was a good thing Moon wasn’t around to hear how bad he was.

“That’s amazing!” Peril exclaimed. “You can sneak up on him and stab his brains and he wouldn’t even know!”

Turtle looked like he was going to be sick.

“Peril…” Qibli said, “1, just no. 2, he’s immortal.”

“It’s still clever.” Winter eyed the stick as Turtle put it away in his pouch again. “Can’t we enchant something like this for Moon? So that wherever she is in the world, the Darkstalker will just forget she exists?”

“That would backfire VERY easily,” Kinkajou said before Qibli could. “Think about it. It’s easy to get rid of Darkstalker’s memory of Turtle - he’s not met him! But Moon? He’d have gaps in his memory of the past day or so and get suspicious. And what about if he’s got Moon locked in a dungeon? He’d, like, forget he has a prisoner and not feed her!”

The reminder that Moon was likely in a cell somewhere, miserable and alone, whilst they were here free and content, sobered them all.

Winter looked pained. “If we can’t free her, then couldn’t we come up with some way to check she’s still alive, at least?”

Qibli’s mind finally clicked, and his eyes went wide. “Hey! I have an idea!” he yelled, bouncing from foot to foot excitedly. When he’d been a dragonet, wishing with all his might to be a secret animus, he’d read every scroll he could on animus dragons and their mysterious objects. It’d been his own little obsession. He thought that if he learned enough, he might uncover the secret to unlocking his own powers - but alas, nothing of the sort happened. “One of the famous old animus objects was the Obsidian Mirror! Legend says you just had to speak someone’s name and you could spy on them. We could do something like that for Moon, give her a way to communicate with us!”

Kinkajou’s wings flung wide in dazzling shades of happy pink. “Then she could tell us where she is!”

Winter also jumped on the idea. “We could make it so that she can hear us and talk back to us, like talking through a crack in the wall.”

“Oh! And we’ll make it like your stick, Turtle!” said Qibli. “So then Darkstalker can’t overhear or read in her mind our plans to free her.”

“Stop!” Peril shouted. They all looked up at her, surprised. “Stop for just one second. You’re all forgetting one important thing… what about Turtle’s soul?”

* * *

_ To our dear allies, the Queens of Pyrrhia, _

_ We bring to you dire news. Morrowseer of the NightWings and the pretender Queen Blister have discovered the location of the Rebellion. They did not breach our defences and were forced to retreat from our territory, but this development does mean that our operations are now at risk. We will be conducting a thorough investigation to prove that we can still effectively assist you when you seek to call upon us. Rest assured, we shall not let this little set back stop us from achieving our goal.  _

_ But there is more news. News that we find hard to believe but feel that we owe you a warning. Morrowseer and Blister brought with them almost their entire forces to bear down on us. And they were only scared off by an unforeseen event that we didn’t know was possible. A giant NightWing erupted out of the earth and attacked our enemies. One of our allies, Prince Winter of the IceWings, has identified him as ‘Darkstalker’, an old NightWing animus. Whilst the legitimacy of these claims has yet to be proven, what we do know, is that the mysterious NightWing attacked his fellow tribemates as well as the SandWings, but is not our ally either. He kidnapped one of our rebels and has since disappeared without a trace. _

_ If any of you have information regarding him, please tell us as soon as you can. And should any of you happen to find Moonwatcher of the NightWings, please help her to escape his custody and return to us. We also hope to count on your aid when making our stronghold secure again. _

_ Remember, we can get through this. Together.  _

_ Signed by the Dragons of Destiny: Clay of the MudWings, hero of the SkyWing Arena _

_ Princess Tsunami of the SeaWings, the teeth of the sea _

_ Starflight of the NightWings, survivor of the northern flames _

_ Sunny of the SandWings, founder of the Great Rebellion  _

_ And Queen Glory of the RainWings, slayer of Battlewinner _

Glory read over the message one last time, before rolling it up and sealing it closed with a wax seal. With a deep, fortifying breath, she took the letter to the RainWing scout that was sat on the ledge leading into her cave. She handed him the precious cargo, along with three copies of said message. One for each of their allies. The messenger nodded before flying off, his scales rippling to let him vanish completely from sight.

“It should take about two days before those messages reach all of the Queens,” she said.

Behind her stood Tsunami and Starflight, the ones who had helped her to compose the letter. Tsunami did not look pleased at all. “Those who were on the fence about joining us, like my mother and Moorhen - I don’t see how this is meant to win them over.”

“Was it wise to tell them about Darkstalker?” asked Starflight. He had recovered quite well from his ordeal against Icicle. “If the IceWings fear him as much as Winter implies, this could provoke a bad reaction from them.”

Glory nodded. They both had valid points, but this course of action was the most obvious to her. “News spreads quickly. They would’ve heard about him sooner or later. It’s best they find out through us rather than hold our lies against us later.”

“Well,” sighed Starflight. “All we can do now is wait.”


	20. The Lost City

Moon awoke just before sunset, when a bird decided to sneak into the castle through some secret hole. What possessed it to swoop around a slumbering dragon and sing its evening songs, Moon would never know. Perhaps this had been its nesting ground for some years and she had stolen it. Either way, the NightWing awoke with a giant yawn and heavy eyes from a day filled with dreams - most of which she forgot upon waking. She stumbled into her antechamber, stretching out her legs and back as she went. Gold and pink light fought to break through her dirtied windows. 

The patch of glass she had cleared yesterday was the only spot where the light was uninhibited. Curious, Moon wandered over and tried to clear away more of the window. It started off small, but then the feeling grew, and soon she was frantically, furiously pulling down vines, rubbing away dirt. Anything to clear the glass, anything to let her  _ see. _

Finally, she did it - it wasn’t pretty, but it was enough. She saw the western horizon; the slopes of the mountain upon which this castle was built, the distant shores, the ocean… and the sun sinking into the water, lighting up the sky in rose and indigo and orange. It was beautiful. 

She remembered the brief glimpses she’d gotten of the landscape the previous night. Far-off beaches were to the west and east. And whilst she hadn’t seen the end of the south, she had noticed a mountain range to the north. And it wasn’t that far. It got her thinking… if there was any way to get her bearings, to find out where in the world she was, and how she could get home to her friends…

Briefly, she touched the silver-diamond earring; she hadn’t dared to take it off. Casting her mind out, she tried to search for Darkstalker, if he was close by and awake. Of course, she couldn’t hear his inner thoughts, but she liked to think that his mind came with a certain feeling. But she felt nothing. He might be out hunting, or just too far for her to reach him. It was a risk she felt she needed to take. 

As quietly as she could manage, she scurried along the rooms nearest her own. It didn’t take her long to find one with an opening to the sky. With only a leap, she was airborne and free of the castle’s dark walls. A niggling doubt told her this should feel too easy. If she were really a prisoner, wouldn’t all exits out of the castle be secure or blocked? Perhaps she  _ was  _ free to go, as Darkstalker said, and thinking of him as a jailor, even in her subconscious, was a disservice to both him and their friendship. 

_ I’ll test my theory,  _ she thought,  _ to prove I’m really free. _

As fast as possible, she flew straight to the northern mountains. It took less than twenty minutes to reach the outskirts of the city and thereby come upon the mountains’ foothills. Already, Moon knew that she would not be flying over those peeks. The top of Jade Mountain was the tallest point in all of Pyrrhia, so far up beyond the clouds that a dragon could not possibly hope to reach it and stay sane. It was far too cold for any but IceWings to handle, and the air was too thin to breathe. These mountains that bordered the lost city were not as tall, but Moon could tell that they still went high enough that she would have difficulty breathing, and therefore keep her wits about her. She had no choice but to fly through the mountain passes.

As she soared between the rocky ledges, the light grew dimmer and more fragmented, until she lost track of which way was east and west. No matter, so long as she stayed on her current trajectory, she knew she was headed in the right direction. But not long after, a dead end took her off guard. Backtracking and taking a different route, she tried again. And again. Each time Moon attempted to find her way, the mountains became impossible to pass through, turning her every which way. Surely there must be -

There! A break in the mountains ahead. Moon flapped her wings to speed towards it. If she could only see the land beyond, she would know her location, would know if she were on an island or some undiscovered corner of Pyrrhia. Yet as she came through, Moon pulled up short, for she had come out of the mountains in the exact same place she had entered.

What on earth…? Was this some kind of magic? Was this the confines of her cage? Or was something else at work here? All these questions buzzed round and round in Moon’s head, and she had no answer for any. 

**_Moon?_ ** She heard Darkstalker calling her, his mind faint, almost a whisper from such a distance.  **_Moon… where… you?_ **

Her heart leapt, and she quickly flew back towards the Castle. The sun had completely vanished from the world now, and the stars were just starting to twinkle within their bed of dark velvet sky. On the way, she spotted a goat at the edges of the mountains, and quickly descended upon it, snapping its neck. With her prey, she soared back to the same opening she had escaped through.  _ I am here,  _ she called out to Darkstalker. 

She met him on one of the staircases not far from her chambers, his blue eyes seemed concerned. It was time to test her earring. Holding up the carcass of her goat, she said, “Forgive me. I awoke before sundown, and caught myself some breakfast.” Technically, not a lie. “Would you care to share it with me?”

Darkstalker studied her face a moment, and Moon had to call upon every ounce of self control not to let her face betray her. Had he been lying about the earring? Was he looking through her thoughts even now? She’d sort-of proven that he wasn’t keeping her prisoner - but now she had to prove she could trust him.

But then, he smiled and nodded. “I would be grateful. We do need to see to the kitchens at some point - make this castle actually habitable.”

He led the way down to the dining hall where they had eaten before, and they shared their meal. Once again, Darkstalker attacked his food with a ravenous ferocity that more befitted a wild animal. Moon did her best not to stare. With only half a goat each, it didn’t last long. 

Darkstalker cleaned his gory snout, his long forked tongue licking up the blood staining his lips and teeth. “Thank you, Moon. I don’t know how long that will hold me, however,” he chuckled. “We’ll have to catch more when we go out.”

Moon blinked. “Out?”

“Of course. We have an entire city to explore! But later.” He stood. “For now, I think it’s about time I made good on my promise of education.”

Eagerly he led the way back through the palace, along wide corridors and over high balconies. Moon couldn’t help but let her imagination run wild as they went, trying to imagine this place in its prime. He eventually brought her to a room so large even Darkstalker was dwarfed by it. 

The floor was black marble decorated with small silver circles connected by lines here and there to form a gigantic star map. One end of the room was dominated by massive double doors, the stone archway around them depicted the saga of dragons rising under the changing stages of the three moons. Curling staircases led up to a balcony around the edge of the room. Above, a glass roof was very far away, the bright moons and starlight shining down. And just below, far enough away that Moon struggled to see it, was a thin walkway.

Darkstalker swept past her, and Moon followed him to the other end of the hall, and froze on the spot. Circular steps led to a wide dias, upon which sat an immense black throne decorated in lines of gold. The very top of the back had three holes, each representing a different stage of a moon cycle. Moon imagined a wise queen would sit upon this throne overlooking a room filled with her courtiers. She would drape her star speckled wings on either side of her, and her brow would be adorned with a spectacular crown. But now, all that was left were cobwebs and scratches. Breaking her from her imaginings, Darkstalker stepped up to the throne and tapped a claw at one of the holes.

“Three diamonds used to sit here,” he said, brow furrowed in thought. He decided to push whatever it was that he was thinking to the side for later.

“What are we doing here?” Moon asked. 

“For your first lesson, of course. When I was under the mountain, I did my best to teach you what I could. But there are certain things one can’t teach unless in person.” He prowled down the steps to join her on the throne room floor. “I know you could be great, Moon. Your power has the potential. But like any muscle, we need to train it; properly this time. Are you willing to try?”

It had been a while since he’d last taught her anything about her powers. In all honesty, she had missed it. A little nervously, she nodded. “Yes. Yes, I am.”

He grinned, but quickly frowned when Moon reached up to take off her earring. “I thought you wanted that to protect your inner thoughts?”

She paused, talon halfway to her ear. This was perhaps the best test she could come up with. She took off the earring. “You’ve built your walls yourself. If I am to be as strong as that, I need to learn how to do that on my own.”

One slender, scaly brow quirked; impressed. “Very well. Let’s start with the basics of defence, then.”

Moon rolled her shoulders and took a deep breath. “Alright. I’m ready.”

“Just remember,” he chuckled, “that you probably won’t get it right away. You do have an unfair disadvantage - I was born under three moons.”

“Is that your power of mindreading,” she threw him a smirk, “or your power of big-headedness?”

He laughed. “Now, a wall to protect your thoughts is made from concentration. We’ll start by getting you to think of something specific. A piece of music, a story, or an image or scent - something you know every detail of from memory.”

What to choose? Moon struggled to pick something that she knew so intimately. Eventually, she settled on her favourite scroll -  _ Prince of the Sun.  _ She knew every word, she could even picture the worn look of the scroll, remember its worn texture on her talons. 

“That’s it, Moon,” said Darkstalker. “Now, I want you to concentrate on that completely. Allow for no outside distractions.”

“But won’t this be a little debilitating?” she asked. “How can I have a mental shield up all the time and get on with everyday tasks if my entire concentration is on this image?”

“When you get used to the idea, you will know how to summon that shield at will, and maintaining it will become as trivial to you as breathing. But we have to get there, first. Now - concentrate.”

Moon did as she was told. Closing her eyes, she pictured the scroll in her talons, its smell in her nostrils, the way the ink caught the light on a sunny afternoon. Somewhere above her, she heard rats scurrying along one of the balconies.

**_Didn’t I just say for no outside distractions?_ ** Darkstalker’s voice came inside her mind, startling her. She opened her eyes, and saw he was fighting back a grin. “Try again.”

She shifted her talons, her stomach flipping. Lessons like this reminded her of being in the rainforest, doing as her father impatiently instructed, desperate to please. Shutting her eyes again, this time she recited the story, line for line, in her mind. 

**_My offer to show you proper literature is still open, if you’re interested?_ ** Came his voice again. He didn’t sound like this was even a struggle. Moon tried to remain calm. A niggling voice told her that she was disappointing him, that she was failing. Gritting her teeth, brow furrowed so hard it hurt, Moon concentrated with all her might.  **_Ooh, I felt something that time._ **

Her eyes popped open. “Really?”

Whilst her eyes had been closed, he’d laid himself on the floor, upper body lounging up the stairs of the dias. “It was only brief, and very flimsy, but it was a start.”

It was hard not to let her wings droop.

“But this is a good start,” he told her. “Let us try on the offensive this time.”

“But your shield is always so strong.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t help that your methods are akin to a blind cow that thinks its a buffalo. Instead, let’s try to turn you into a wasp.”

Moon frowned. “That doesn’t sound effective.”

“Yes it does. You need to learn not to try and bowl over another’s defences, instead you should work your way around them, and sting them where it hurts.” 

That made a little more sense, she guessed. Closing her eyes, Moon once again concentrated and reached out her mind until she felt the brush of Darkstalker’s consciousness. She imagined her talon grazing over his defences, trying to find a chink in the armour, a stone loose in the wall. But he was as smooth and flawless as glass. She kept trying, and the longer she took, the more anxious she became. 

“Focus, Moon,” Darkstalker said in a slow, deep voice. 

She tried, but the longer it took, the more she wondered if he was secretly getting frustrated by her lack of progress. Her father would. She was meant to be the first NightWing with all these powers and yet she was so useless at using them. Unable to grasp the concept of something this basic would have her father fuming. This was why physical lessons terrified her. Mental tutoring had been easy, because that had all happened behind an assurance that there was nothing happening in the real world. But now, all she could imagine was her father’s face morphed on to Darkstalker, pushing her to get it right, to do as she’d been told  _ quickly. _

Keeping a lid on her panic, she tried one last thing. To try and slip beneath Darkstalker’s defences as if it were the rim of an upturned teacup. She felt an ever so slight  _ give _ , and received the impression of a vague emotion. But before she could force the rest of herself in, the opening slammed shut. 

Moon’s eyes popped open and she gasped at the suddenness of being ejected. She blinked several times. She’d failed, and now awaited the repercussions.

“That was great!” Darkstalker’s words surprised her. She looked up, surprised even more to see him stood over her, grinning from ear to ear.

“It… It was?”

“Of course! You managed to accomplish the first step of both offence and defence in your first lesson.”

“But… It was nothing substantial.” 

“Yes, but remember that my skills are more advanced than yours as well as more powerful,” he argued. “This is a learning curve for us both, as I need to learn how to tone down my power a little for the sake of your learning.”

Despite herself, her muscles slowly started to relax. “You’re… you’re not upset?”

“By the Scorching, why would I be upset? Yes, we didn’t get much done. But all good things come in time. We have time to get there - and I just know that from here on out, you are going to do fabulously!”

With his nose pointed in the air in an exaggerated lordly manner, Darkstalker grabbed Moon’s wrists and pulled her against him. She squealed, startled. The sound was squashed as he folded his wings around her to press her against his chest. And then, he twirled around the throne room, purposefully singing off-key about how he had the best student - and she the best teacher in the universe.

The absolute outlandish silliness of the situation was the last straw to break her tension. Moon laughed, loudly and with vigor. She laughed because Darkstalker was just  _ that  _ funny when he wanted to be, and also as a way to relieve her stress and realise how stupid she’d been to get so worked up. Yes, her father had not been the best teacher. And that had installed in her an expectation of how these things would go, but Darkstalker was nothing like her father in that regard. Everything he did to make her feel more at ease helped her to differentiate between the two scenarios. 

“Right!” he announced, releasing her so abruptly that she spun on the spot and fell over. “I believe that concludes our lessons for the day. Shall we go flying?”

“Flying?” she grunted, getting up. 

“Yes, Moon,” his eyes sparkled with excitement. “Come with me, please! We can go exploring the city - I want to show you everything of what our ancestral Kingdom used to be.”

It didn’t take her long to decide, putting her earring back on. “Alright. We could even hunt for our supper whilst we’re out.”

Gleefully, he led the way out of the throne room to the grand entrance hall and finally out the gigantic gates leading into the city. They took off into the sky, and Moon was awed at just how large and impressive Darkstalker’s wingspan was. In comparison to his body, it was more on the scale of a SkyWing’s than what was the typical proportion for NightWings. Each beat of his wings was powerful and sure, sending a great shooting wind out behind him with each thrust. 

He wasted no time, and showed her everything he could. Starting in the Great Diamond, the plaza with the Castle of Stars at one of its points. Spreading outward, he showed her the many districts and explained how the city was laid out in accordance with how NightWing society used to function. He even showed her where the forest used to end and where the city began, and told of old NightWing rituals where young dragonets would go on their first hunt in those woods. There was no denying that this was once a great and vast city, and to hear Darkstalker tell of it, was also a place of great learning - the best minds in the world had come here. The fantasy that played out in Moon’s mind was a dream she wished more than anything she could witness with her own eyes. 

As they swooped towards the north, Moon couldn’t help but look towards the mountains, and with slight hesitancy, ask: “What about the mountains? Does more of the Kingdom lie beyond?”

Darkstalker shook his head. “No. Our borders end in the midst of that range. But don’t worry, we are quite safe. No one will get in.”

“Your magic, I assume?” she asked, covering the way her stomach clenched. 

“Well, during the war, the Queen wanted something to protect us from IceWing invasions. I conjured a magical shield to keep them out. But there’s been magic in those mountains for far longer than I’ve been alive.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s almost…” he looked genuinely puzzled. “Animus magic has a certain feel to it, and what lurks in those mountains is not it. It feels older, rawer, somehow. What it does is confuse any hapless traveller who dares to enter those mountains - from either side. Unless you know the correct way through, the mountains will misdirect you like a maze and spit you back out where you tried to get in.”

Moon’s mind was boggled by such a discovery. She’d thought only animus dragons could create such magic. But it stood to reason that magic must’ve been in the world before them, before dragons even existed. What had the world been like back then? Was this the last remnants of that bygone era?

There was no time to ponder such questions for long. Darkstalker carried on the tour through the city and outlying countryside. The further out they flew, the more destruction they encountered. As time went on, Moon watched Darkstalker physically deflate as he gazed sadly out upon his ruined home. There was a tremble in his wings, like he wanted to sink into despair but sheer force of will kept him flying onward. For the first time since she’d met him, he looked old and tired. 

“It shouldn’t have ended like this…” he murmured. “How could the NightWings have just… left?”

It hurt something inside Moon to watch Darkstalker slowly succumb to sorrow. There was so much about his past that she didn’t know, and these ruins only offered her a peek. Moved to pity, she beat her wings to catch him up, and said: “Darkstalker, why don’t we rebuild it?”

His brows rose in astonishment. “Rebuild it?”

“Only if you wanted to,” It only just occurred to her that she had just signed away her right to leave at any time - this was a commitment she wasn’t entirely sure she should be signing up for. “We could make a start, at least. Rebuild some of the city ourselves. After all - the war will end eventually, and when it does, the NightWings could return here, to live in their  _ real  _ home. They could finally give the rainforest back and come to their own land.”

“It is a wonderful idea,” he said, stopping to hover so that he could properly face her. “But… I don’t understand. After all that you and those you love have suffered at their talons, why would  _ you  _ want to help them?”

That was supposed to be a difficult question, but Moon already had her answer before she knew she did. “I’ve been inside the heads of other dragons. I’ve seen inside them when they do bad things - they all have justifications for what they do. Most believe that what they’re doing is the right thing, or because they’re scared and don’t understand. So… I know that there is a little darkness inside every dragon. But I also know there is a lot of good in all of them as well. Surely you can feel that too?”

Darkstalker was quiet for a long moment, staring at her. 

Uh-oh, had that sounded incredibly stupid? “What is it?”

“Nothing.” His smile was so big and warm, it creased his eyes. “I don’t think you know how utterly wonderful your mind is sometimes, Moon.”

Her ears burned with a blush. “So! What should we fix first?”

“The school,” he said. “Education was always important to us. Every dragonet in the tribe was given a decent education - no exceptions. We prided ourselves on being the most advanced tribe in Pyrrhia. NightWing students not only learnt how to control their powers or the job in society they wished to go into. They learned biology, geology, chemistry, astronomy…”

Darkstalker continued his lesson as they flew towards the old NightWing school. It wasn’t as bad as some of the other buildings they’d seen at the city’s outer edge. The worst damage was that a western wing of the school had a partially collapsed roof. They puzzled over how best to proceed for some time, but decided they needed to clear away the debris and rot so that they could know what to work with later. With Darkstalker’s size and strength (even when so thin), he shouldered the brunt of the heavy lifting. Whilst Moon’s smaller size and nimbleness allowed her to squeeze into the hard to reach places. They worked a solid four hours and managed to clear the majority of the rubble. But still the scale of the project was daunting. 

“It’ll take us another two thousand years to restore the city this way!” Darkstalker growled in frustration, throwing a rotten beam like a spear. “And neither of us are craft-workers. We don’t know how to treat timber and apply it exactly or how to build with the correct stone.”

Moon shook out her aching wrists, tired. “Then what do you suggest?”

“Please, Moon, give me my magic!” he begged. “Let me use it to help us rebuild. With only a few words, I could have not just this section restored, but the entire school.”

“You can’t let magic solve all your problems,” Moon said, stomach twisting. She was only just beginning to trust Darkstalker fully, but this seemed too much. 

He snorted. “Why not? If my magic can help us in our work, it could help to make us happier, more comfortable, safer, why shouldn’t I use it?”

“You used magic wantonly before, Darkstalker, and look at where that got you.”

“Oh, is that it then?” he narrowed those bright silver-blue eyes on her. “You don’t trust me with it? It is my magic, Moon - you’re doing the same as cutting my wings from my back.”

“Your magic is my responsibility.”

“But Moon, I told you last night, it won’t corrupt my soul-”

“That is a theory,” she persisted stubbornly. “I’m sorry, I’m just not comfortable with letting you cast so many spells.”

“If you’d known me two thousand years ago, you would’ve seen that I was fine, Moon.” Darkstalker said, holding out a talon imploringly. “The queen demanded many spells of me, and it didn’t turn me evil - despite what the ghost stories say.”

“But that’s it…” Moon said slowly, her eyes going wide as she came upon an idea. “I  _ didn’t  _ know you back then. But if you helped me to understand, I could grant you back your magic…” 

It was risky, she already knew that. There was every chance for him to still have the upperhand or outright refuse. But she had to take that chance. She wanted to learn more about him, wanted to know the truth behind the old stories, to determine if he really was her friend or a fiend. 

Darkstalker frowned. “What are you suggesting?”

“Once a night, I will grant you permission for one spell. In return, I want to hear a story of your life.”

“That seems a little invasive.”

“You can choose to say no. I just want to know more about you, Darkstalker; the real you.”

The reluctance in his eyes was obvious. He glanced around at the ruined school, at the work still to be done. Lips pressed into a hard line, he nodded. “Very well, Moon, you have yourself a deal.”

“Then, Darkstalker: I grant you permission to cast a spell that will restore this building to how it was one year prior to the NightWing exodus.”

Magic once again disappointed her as she couldn’t pinpoint any grand spectacle to let her know it was there. Not until the roof suddenly began to repair itself, the paint on the walls uncracked and became vibrant once again, the door on the floor got up and reattached itself to its hinges. Moon squeaked and jumped closer to Darkstalker when a rotten desk leapt to life underneath her talons and put itself in its rightful spot. She stared in awe as time rewound and the school returned to how it would be in its prime. They stood in an old classroom, little desks awaiting small dragonets that would never come, a blackboard clean and chalk ready for a non-existent teacher to come in and prepare a lesson that would never be. It was fascinating, but also very sad. 

“Let us return to the castle,” Darkstalker said in a voice that lacked all emotion. Moon tried to see if he was alright, but he refused to show her his face. He quickly led the way through the revitalised corridors until they found their way out again. The flight back to the castle was very quiet, aside from when they swooped down to catch two stray boars. 

The silence continued as they came back to the castle and Darkstalker led the way down through many smaller servants passages and stairways until they came into the kitchens. He built a fire in the large hearth from the dead roots and vines that had sprung up through cracks in the walls that led to the outside world. Methodically, he then began to tidy up the place, placing their kills on the counter as soon as it was clear of dirt and dust. Moon waited by the door, apprehensive to be near him. Had she gone too far with her request? Or was he more upset by seeing the school back to how he remembered? 

Darkstalker muttered something about a vegetable garden, before tearing into the first kill. He pushed the other boar towards her, but Moon’s appetite had left her. Her companion’s eyes were distant and cold. It was clear that this wasn’t a good time, so Moon tiptoed back up the passage -

“I thought you wanted a story before sunrise.”

Moon paused midstep. “If you do not wish to…”

“A bargain is a bargain,” was all he said as he laid himself down beside the fire. He beckoned her to join across from him. Unsure if this was wise, Moon hesitated before slowly doing as he bid. When she was laid, he said, “Give me your talon.”

“What? Why?”

“So I can  _ show  _ you my story. Or part of it, for now. And as you know, touch strengthens the bond between minds.”

How did he plan on doing that? Questions buzzed around inside her mind, and slowly, she put her talon in his. His claws curled around her in a firm, if gentle, grip. The cool feel of his mind brushed against hers, and abruptly Moon felt her world shift and slant, her vision going dark. It was just like back in Jade Mountain, when she’d been chasing after Icicle and hers and Darkstalker’s minds had melded. 

In panic, Moon fought the sensation, wrestling herself back towards her own body. But it felt like her claws were trapped in quicksand. The last time this happened, she experienced what it was like to be trapped in the earth, to be so desperate and afraid - it had been horrible! But then, she felt Darkstalker’s voice all around her, and his music soothing her:  **_Relax, Moon. Everything will be alright._ **

At first, she didn’t want to. But she also needed to see the truth for herself, and this was the only way. So she surrendered. There was a sickening lurch and then it felt like sinking… and then darkness. Memories were pulled to the forefront of their consciousness, spreading colour over the darkness like paint diluted in water. 

_ Their earliest memory was when they were just over a year old. They were running around the house, chasing after their little sister. She was beautiful, with black-blue scales spotted with white along her spine. Her wings were white, and the star-speckles on the underside were black. Her horns and spines more resembled an IceWing, like their father. Sister - Whiteout - she loved to play and her laughter was like a bell that brought them joy every time they heard it. When they caught her tail, they were always gentle, never snapping as they might’ve in a tussle with anyone else.  _

_ “Darkstalker! Whiteout!” called Mother, and love burst in their heart before they could squish the feeling. “Dinner!” _

_ “Race you!” they dared Whiteout with a happy hop. “If I win, you get my share of cookies.”  _

_ “Winning is a matter of colour,” she smiled. They bumped their nose with hers. Her mind was a mystery to them. She didn’t think like everyone else. Grownups said she was ‘defective’. Even when so young, they hated the worms that dared to say that about their sister. Whiteout was kind and wonderful and perfect the way she was - it wasn’t her fault that she’d come out the way she did.  _

_ The siblings raced towards the kitchen; the pair could smell roasted hawks. Mother was serving up dinner at the table, father was sprawled across the living room floor, writing something. Neither looked up at their dragonets’ playful antics. But as they skidded around the corner, Whiteout tripped over her own wings, and her flailing tail smacked out their legs. They went tumbling across the floor, and crashed into father’s flank, his cold scales making them hiss.  _

_ Father leapt to his feet, blue eyes furious as he brandished the scroll that now had a jagged line all the way through it. “Learn to be more careful in future!”  _

_ They could read inside his head, how frustrated he was. He wanted to scream and rage: at them, at mother, at the dragon they would later recognise as the queen. But he couldn’t do that, yet his anger needed to come bursting out, so he directed it on them. And when mother stepped in to defend them, father’s anger transferred to her. They hated it when he shouted at mother. They loved mother and wouldn’t stand for this.  _

_ Whiteout whimpered. They turned to her. She was huddled in the corner, covering her head with her wings as the shouting match continued. Dinner could wait, they decided, guiding their sister back towards the bedroom.  _

The memories shifted to another time, possible only a month or two later. 

_ They laid in their nest, a tangled mess of limbs and wings and tails with Whiteout. Mother was curled around them, humming softly to send them to sleep. It was in these quiet moments that they could see inside her mind and see how she truly felt. _

_ All day long, Mother kept her love closed behind a door. She shut it away, even though it hurt to do so. She did this because  _ **_others_ ** _ were always watching, and if they knew how much she loved them, these  _ **_others_ ** _ would come and take them and Whiteout away from her. Only in these moments, when she didn’t think they were awake, did she let the door open and allow her love - so much love, like when they’d hatched - to come out. _

_ It made them sad on some days. Other days they questioned why this had to be. Their keepers were happy with his progress - said they were powerful in foresight and telepathy. But the keepers didn’t know about their magic yet. Mother and father didn’t know yet. They wanted it that way for as long as possible. But would mother be allowed to love them if they showed the world they had magic?  _

The memory faded out abruptly and was replaced instantly. 

_ They walked down the street. One day off from training, and mother wanted to take the whole family out. As the head of their household, Mother took the lead. As her daughter, Whiteout was always kept close at her side. As her mate, father got the privilege of her other side, but because he was male he stuck back at her flank - even though the Night Kingdom wasn’t nearly as strict as the Ice Kingdom on social rules.  _

_ But as the son, they were stuck behind everyone else, though mother kept him close on her tail. It was lonely, with no one to talk to. Father got to make little comments that made mother smile, or he pointed something out to Whiteout that she found pretty. They couldn’t help but feel jealous. Mother’s and Whiteout’s love should be shown to  _ **_them_ ** _. _

_ Other adults were staring. The crowd knew who they were, and pointed. Were they thinking about  _ **_it_ ** _ too? Were they expecting big things from them, like the prophecy said?  _

Again, the vision cut out suddenly. When it returned, it was later on. 

_ Their second Hatchingday had just passed. They were puzzling out a counting game with wooden tiles they’d received as a gift. Whiteout sat with her back against theirs, painting. When, with no warning, father burst into their room. Something was clutched in his talon.  _

_ He marched over to Whiteout, something strange in his eyes. “You have magic.” He dropped the object in front of her.  _

_ It was a doll made to look like a scavenger. Whiteout loved it more than anything but was always losing it. So they had enchanted it for her, to always come back to her if she misplaced it. When it hit the floor, it sprung back up and waddled towards her. Whiteout beamed as she cuddled it against her chest. She went to thank them, as she always did, but father cupped his talons around her face, forcing her to look at him. “Did you enchant this?” _

_ “Leave her alone!” they shouted, and tried to pull him off.  _

_ “What is going on here?” mother asked from the doorway.  _

_ “Our daughter has magic,” father said breathlessly. His mind was filled with crashing waves of excitement and dreadful worry.  _

_ Was this the perfect way to let their magic go unnoticed for a few more years? They checked the most likely threads of the future. If they let father believe this, he and mother would be forced to tell the Queen. Whiteout would be brought before and forced to show her magic. When she couldn’t the Queen would be very disappointed and have her punished. They couldn’t let that happen - not ever! _

_ “She’s not the animus!” they shouted. They splayed their talons, and quietly enchanted the wooden tiles to fly through the air in a neat circle and then rearrange themselves into perfect order. “I am.” _

_ Father stared at him, feeling cheated. Mother sighed, filled with sadness.  _

The world tilted and shrank a little as her mind separated from Darkstalker’s, and Moon became herself once again. She opened her eyes, mystified at what she had experienced. Dakrstalker’s memories now clashed with her own dragonethood, so vividly were they now placed in her mind. To experience what he had as it had happened had been enlightening on a whole new level. But she couldn’t help but feel as if something was missing from those memories in certain places. 

Darkstalker was very quiet as he let go of her talon and stared into the fire. Moon felt like she had to say something. “Thank you… did-did we do that back -”

“Yes,” he said. “That had been an accident. I hope this time was much more pleasant.”

“Definitely,” she said. “I can’t believe it… it’s hard to think of the great and powerful Darkstalker as a little dragonet who played chase.” They huffed a laugh. “But… what I can’t understand is why you were treated that way. I mean, when you were walking around the city?”

“This was two thousand years ago, Moon,” Darkstalker sighed. “Society was under the impression that females were the elite, the leaders in all aspects of our world.”

“But you were just a small dragonet.”

“And it only got worse after everyone found out I was an animus,” he scowled into the flames. “I had all the power anyone could ever want, yet I hatched the wrong gender. They thought my sister was more deserving of my powers because she was female. And to add insult to injury, she was mentally deficient.” 

Moon tenderly reached out to brush her wing against his. “I’m glad to say that the world isn’t like that any more. You’d never be treated like that.”

She knew how naive that sounded even before he turned and met her eyes in a tired and sad way. Forcing his lips to twitch into a smile, he nodded to her his thanks. “I’m sorry, Moon, but… I think that took it out of me. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

With glistening eyes he got up and quietly walked away. Moon watched him go, wishing there was something more she could do. She turned back to their kills - he’d only eaten a single bite. 


	21. Sounds In A Shell

When Qibli came to collect Peril around mid-morning, she almost snapped at him. The only thing that stopped her was the look on his face. He was probably the only dragon in Jade Mountain who looked more tired than she felt. He had said he would stay up as long as it took to figure out the right spell; but she hadn’t expected him to stay up  _ all night _ . 

Since the ambush, Peril had been constantly on the move. If she wasn’t in Jade Mountain running between helping Clay or conspiring with her friends, she was out on patrol. Tsunami wanted security around their territory to be increased, now that their secret was out. Peril hardly had any time left to herself to eat or sleep. And if anything, last night had proven that these measures, though taxing, were necessary. 

On her patrol, she’d managed to catch sight of a NightWing, spying on the barrier to see if anyone had come through. She’d chased him nearly half way to the Mud Kingdom. Despite her advantage of speed and durability, the NightWing was almost impossible to see in the dark, and she’d been given direct orders to incapacitate and capture, not kill. Which was very hard for her, especially in mid-flight, considering one brush of her wing in the wrong place could kill her target. The NightWing eventually escaped, and Peril was left to race home, fearing that she’d stupidly been drawn away and now someone else was coming for those she cared about. 

But nothing had happened, and she’d managed to catch at least a few hours rest before Qibli came to get her. She could afford an hour or two before she had to go to the prey centre at noon for something to eat before getting back to her duties. A part of her missed the forge in the bottom of the mountain - the heat was soothing and forging the metal helped to clear her mind. 

She followed him carefully to his cave where the rest of their oddball “winglet” had gathered. As always now, their mood was grave and quiet. Peril did her best not to get swallowed by the immediate guilt that rose up in her chest. She’d talked Moon into letting Soar in, and because of that Morrowseer had been able to set his trap and then everything had gone down the drain. Now everyone was so focused on getting Moon back. Qibli was using that annoyingly fast brain of his to puzzle out the universe to find Moon, and Turtle was willing to use magic to do it. Peril felt the scales on her back itch. She knew they were doing everything they could, but this sitting around stuff really irked her. She preferred to be doing things, even though her logical brain told her flying around the world shouting Moon’s name to see if she’d respond was kind of a bad idea.

“I got it!” Qibli announced quietly once they were all assembled. They’d all mutually agreed to keep their plans private for the time being. Peril knew why, but she hated the thought of lying to Clay. “I’ve worked out the right spell.”

Peril frowned. “I thought we weren’t going to because of Turtle…”

“I’m fine.” They all glanced at his ever-so-slight snappish tone. Turtle never raised his voice. He flattened his ears, embarrassed. “I mean, I want to help find Moon. And so long as it’s a small spell…”

Heat snaked up Peril’s arms and she let out steam through her nostrils. She stamped down her temper, at the flare of hurt she felt. Over and over she’d tried to handle this, but it was getting tougher the more they talked about things like this.

“Can we really do this?” asked Winter as he looked over the large scroll Qibli laid out for them to scrutinize. Peril peered over all of them.The enchantment he’d laid out was specific and covered many bases. Obviously the SandWing had had to think of everything to be sure that Darkstalker wouldn’t discover what they were doing.

Qibli smiled despite the bags under his eyes. “I don’t see why not! Let’s do this and see if it works.”

“Now might not be a good time,” said Kinkajou.

“What? Why not?”

“Not because of the spell,” she said quickly. “I mean it might be the wrong time to contact Moon. Even when she lived here, Moony was always a night-owl. She won’t be up yet.”

Winter huffed. “If she’s a prisoner, I doubt if she will get much choice.”

“Or…” Qibli tapped his chin in thought. “Kinkajou’s right. Think about it. They’re  _ Night _ Wings. It makes sense they could be nocturnal.”

“But we also need to do it when Darkstalker won’t be able to witness her talking to herself.”

“Give Moon a little credit,” Peril said, rolling her eyes. “She’s not going to talk to thin air right in front of his face.”

“We’ll wait for sunset.” Qibli nodded. “Hopefully, she’ll be awake and he’ll either still be asleep, or just getting up. We only need a quick conversation to make sure it works, and to confirm she’s alright. Then we can worry about when to contact her more regularly.”

Peril left them in order to get on with her duties. She skipped the prey centre in favour of using her hunger as an excuse to come back just before sunset. Patrols were being organised into groups of four, but no one offered to go with Peril - except Clay whenever he had the time. It didn’t bother her most times, she didn’t let it. But today, as she circled around the mountain, surveying the area, it let her thoughts swell inside her brain. 

At one point, she turned towards the north-east corner of the territory and found the hole. The crater, the ruins in the earth where Darkstalker burst out of the ground. Sunny had warned everyone away from it for now. From the sky, Peril could see straight down the long shaft into what appeared to be an endless pit. Boulders and mounds of earth had been flung outwards, crushing trees and gouging the ground. It was obvious the ancient NightWing had used magic in his escape, but she could also see the huge furrows where he’d clawed his way out. It was like looking down the throat of a shark as the teeth closed in. A shiver ran down her scales and she promptly left the scene. 

Returning to the mountain, she snatched herself some food and ate the burnt meat stiffly, her mind far away as she thought about… well, everything. Her food didn’t seem right in her stomach, so she left her meal unfinished in favour of finding her friends once again. 

The sun was just beginning to set. She found them in Moon’s cave - a better assurance of privacy. Turtle was sat in the middle of the cave, the others around him. In his talons, he gently held a large, round, spiral seashell. Was that what they were going to enchant for their communication spell?

Kinkajou brushed his wing with hers. “Are you sure you want to do this, Turtle?”

“It’s not the spell I’m worried about,” the SeaWing said. He tried to smile, but it came out a grimace. “It’s the idea of Darkstalker somehow knowing about this… about him coming after me… The thought of him being anywhere near me is just so terrifying.”

“I think he has bigger concerns,” said Winter. “Such as bringing all his subjects in line.”

Peril quirked a brow. “What makes you say that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? The whole reason he was sealed away - aside from being an abomination - was because he tried to steal the NightWing throne. Of course he would pick up right where he left off. I say he’s taken Moon to the rainforest.”

Kinkajou’s ruff flared wide and red-orange. “If he has, I can get Moony out! No one knows the rainforest as well as me!”

“Sorry, Winter, but that’s wrong.” Qibli shook his head. “For one, when Darkstalker fled Jade Mountain, he went in the opposite direction as the other NightWings. And for two: he’s as much as a nightmare to them as he is to your tribe. They wouldn’t accept him so easily.”

They all thought about that. Once again, Qibli pointed out the smart things. Peril was both awed by that, and sometimes annoyed.

Everything that had been piling up in her head all day suddenly felt fit to burst, so she let it spill out. “I feel like we’re all purposefully avoiding the topic, so I’m just going to come out and say it: Moon’s prophecy. Yes, I heard it too. Frankly, the idea of the sky falling on us is terrifying, and I think we should try to avoid that wherever possible.”

Winter snorted. “Obviously it’s about Darkstalker. He’s come to destroy everything. What else is there to discuss?”

Kinkajou wrinkled her snout. “Wouldn’t that be a bit too obvious, though?”

“Or maybe,” said Turtle, “making us think it’s too obvious is just misdirecting us when it actually  _ is  _ him?”

“But it hasn’t happened yet,” Qibli said. “‘ _ When earth and palace crack and fall’  _ is very specific.”

Peril huffed. “Then let’s be sure to watch out for when all the palaces fall off their foundations.”

That made Kinkajou and Turtle laugh. Qibli opened his mouth to correct her, but obviously thought better of it. As each of their points were made, the accusatory expression on the IceWing’s face slowly lessened. He actually looked like he was thinking about his next words -  _ shocker _ . 

“A ‘ _ silver-tongue’ _ is what one might call a liar,” he said. “So, Darkstalker, obviously.”

Kinkajou shook her head. “Still think that’s too obvious.”

“Obvious or not,” Qibli interjected before Winter could snap at her, “the part it’s very clear on is that we need to find the Lost City of Night if we want to avoid this doomsday.”

“But broken fragments of what?” Peril asked.

“ _ Find the tale of the brother lost, find the sword from on high…”  _ Turtle intoned.

Peril felt the urge to ruffle her wings in annoyance. “ _ Or else let darkness swallow the world, and bring down the sky’  _ Yeah, that’s the part we want to avoid.”

“Could it mean a sword from the SkyWings?” Qibli asked, turning to her. “They’re the best fighters. They make loads of weapons - is there any super sword they’ve ever made?”

“I don’t know.” She shifted on her talons, uncomfortable at the emotions burning up through her scales. Other dragons got to shred things when they were agitated, why couldn’t she have even that? “Osprey was the only one who ever wanted to teach me my heritage and even then it was only the bits and pieces his senile mind could recall.”

Winter sighed. “The brother’s tale could be anyone. There’s no use trying to go after that.”

“To clarify,” Qibli said, “the only thing we can deduce from this, is that we need to find the Lost City.”

Turtle’s ears pricked up, his eyes bright. He carefully put the seashell down and then rummaged around in the pack he always carried, pulling out a scroll and laying it on the floor. “I can try to find it. _I enchant this scroll to become a map of Pyrrhia, including notable landmarks to each of the tribes.”_ As he spoke the words, the scroll seemed to stain itself, black ink appearing over the page where it had not been there a moment before. It created a map, just as Turtle had commanded. He pointed to Jade Mountain as it appeared on the scroll. “So we’re here. And Darkstalker was last seen heading west.”

“Could he have gone into the desert?” Kinkajou asked.

Qibli shook his head. “Someone would’ve seen him.”

“Maybe he’s gone to an island off the west coast this time,” said Winter, pointing a claw out towards the ocean on the map. “Makes sense - if the NightWings had to move from their old home to a new one, they’d probably jump from island to island.”

“Let’s find out.” Turtle murmured, and touched a claw to the scroll again. “ _ Mark on this map exactly where Moonwatcher the NightWing is at this moment.”  _ Peril felt a shiver run down her spine, even though nothing happened. The map remained exactly the same. Turtle frowned. _ “Show me where the Lost City of Night is!” _

But the map ignored him. 

“Ask it to find me,” said Winter. Turtle and the others frowned, but he did as instructed. Still the map was unchanged. “As I suspected. You aren’t able to find Jade Mountain because the shield protects all those inside from all forms of detection. Darkstalker must be concealing his location in a similar manner.”

Qibli, of course, began to rattle off ideas about how they might bypass these barrier spells. Peril watched them all discuss how to use Turtle’s magic. Anger simmered, hot and fierce, inside her. All at once she wanted to be anywhere but here. It hurt too much. But then she remembered Moon sitting with her on the ledge, trying to offer her comfort and friendship. Moon needed her - she wasn’t a warrior like Peril. And though Peril wasn’t very good at being ‘friends’ she’d learned this much: friends don’t abandon friends. 

“Peril? Are you okay?”

She snapped her head up, startled. Turtle was right beside her, broken off from the others whilst they continued to discuss the spells they needed. His brown eyes were sincere, concerned. He’d looked at her that way so many times, he’d even looked like that when they’d first met. Back when she thought he was her friend. 

“Fine.” she said bluntly. “Question is, are  _ you  _ alright? You’re doing a lot of spells all at once.”

The pudgy SeaWing rolled his wings a little. “I don’t feel too bad. Don’t worry, no murder-thoughts for me.”

If her eyes could burn, she would’ve thought they’d be smoking now. She turned her head away to glare at the wall. “Great.”

From the corner of her eye, she saw Turtle’s ears slowly droop, his smile fading. “That was a joke, Peril. You know, like how we met?”

“Yeah. And then you decided to never fix me.”

“Fix you-?”

She stood up and walked away from him. “Doesn’t matter.”

If he dared to try and talk this out with her right now, she might very well explode. Thankfully, before Turtle could try, Qibli saw Peril approaching their group and called them over. Sitting with her wings folded tightly and tail twined around her feet, she tried her hardest to occupy as small a space as possible. Turtle stepped past her to get into the centre of the ring they’d made, glancing her way uncertainly. She refused to give him eye contact.

With a deep sigh, Turtle sat by the seashell and held it between his talons. He uttered the spell that Qibli had written for him. It’s instructions were clear: speak the name of any dragon you wished, and the shell would transport your voice to speak in that dragon’s ear. Only they would be able to hear it, and when they spoke back, their voice would come back through the shell. No mind reader would be able to see this conversation or its enchantment in the thoughts of others, nor see it in any possible future. The connection could be severed by mentally ‘disconnecting’ from it. 

“Okay, shall we try this?” Turtle wet his lips and hunched over the shell to speak into it. “Contact Moonwatcher.”

Initially, all they heard was silence. The Jade Winglet all looked at one another. Had they failed? 

A little panicked, Turtle tried: “Hello?”

A pause… then:

_ “Hello?”  _ came Moon’s voice from the seashell, making them all jump. _ “Is someone there?” _

“It worked!” Kinkajou squealed with delight, her scales shining a rainbow of colours. 

“Moon!” Qibli rushed closer, hovering beside Turtle. “Can you hear us?”

_ “Qibli?! Is that you? … no, I must be going crazy…” _

They all grinned at one another. More than one of them had tears in their eyes. “You’re not crazy, Moon,” said Turtle. “We’re here. We enchanted something so that we could talk to you!”

“Moony, are you alright?” demanded Kinkajou. “Did that snotty-frog-face try to do anything to you?!”

_ “Kinkajou?!”  _ Moon exclaimed suddenly. _ “You’re alright!” _

“Of course I am, nothing can keep the heroic Kinkajou down from fulfilling her epic destiny that is going to be TOTALLY heroic and epic and… stuff.”

_ “I’m so glad you’re alright - I’ve been so worried!” _

Peril, unable to get close enough without touching anyone, shouted over their shoulders. “Not as much as we’ve nearly torn our scales out worrying about you. Where are you?”

_ “I… I’m in the old NightWing Kingdom,”  _ Moon’s voice grew quiet with awe. _ “The one they had before they left the continent. The Lost City of Night.” _

“You’re there?!” Qibli’s eyes went wide. “Where is it? Can you tell us how to find it?”

_ “No.” _ She told them grimly.  _ “I was unconscious the entire way here. The city is vast, but I don’t recognise any of the surrounding countryside either. It could be anywhere.” _

Winter held out his talons, and Turtle carefully placed the seashell in his palm. Holding it up to his face, he asked only a little shakily: “Moon, are you alright? Are you hurt?”

_ “Hurt?”  _ she even gave a little laugh. _ “Why would I be hurt?” _

The IceWing gaped. “The Darkstalker is holding you prisoner! He kidnapped you! Who knows what he has planned for you.”

_ “Winter, it’s not like that. Darkstalker would never hurt me.” _

“How can you say that?”

“Because she knows so.” Qibli said slowly, scales going pale. “When he got out, he spoke as if he knew her. And the only way he could get out would be with her permission. And seeing as he was underground… that meant he had to hear her another way.”

Turtle caught on first. “They’re… both mind readers…”

“You knew…” Winter whispered to the shell. So many emotions zapped through his eyes, most of which Peril didn’t recognise, but she saw a few: hurt and anger. “You knew he was under there this whole time?! I told you what he was! How could you-”

_ “I didn’t know at first!” _ Moon said desperately.  _ “I… I first heard him not long after the rebellion arrived at the mountain. He helped me control my powers - being around so many dragons at once, it was overwhelming me. He became my friend, and I didn’t know anything about him, I swear. Not until you told us that story.” _

“And you still communicated with him?!”

_ “I was angry too, at first. But he was one of my first friends. And he said that the stories about him have been greatly exaggerated.” _

Winter hissed through his teeth. “How convenient for him.”

_ “Winter, he’s not a monster.” _

“And you know because you’ve managed to keep yet another secret from everyone!”

Qibli stood and came towards his friend, reaching out a wing to try and get his attention. But it was no use, he was far too angry to notice anything. “Winter, calm down-”

_ “His existence wasn’t my secret to share, at first,”  _ said Moon.

“Moon, don’t you realise how much danger you’re in? Every minute you spend with him allows his trap to better ensnare you. It’s obvious he wants you to give him his magic back. He’ll play the nice-drake for now, but soon that facade will slip, and then who knows what he’ll do to you to take it by force!”

_ “That  _ **_won’t_ ** _ happen!” _

Kinkajou looked frightened. “Moony, how can you-”

_ “You need to trust me!” _

“As we have now established,” Winter spat at the shell. “Your judgement is sorely lacking, so why should we put any faith in what you say?!”

“Winter!”

He finally snapped out of it at the shout. The Jade Winglet stared at him, and he stared back. The silence laid bare what they’d all just witnessed. Winter’s face went slack, and then he stared down at the shell in his talon with mountain horror. But there was only silence. Had she gone?

Kinkajou was the one to slowly approach, testing to see if the cornered wolf would snap or not. “Moony…?”

_ “I-I have to go.”  _ Moon’s voice was choked as if with tears. _ “I think I hear Darkstalker coming.” _

And then she severed the connection. They all stared at the shell. It felt like waking from a dream, talking to her one moment and then coming back to the reality that she was actually gone. 

“You can’t keep it together, can you?” Qibli growled. In a rare display of anger, he marched in front of Winter, flaring his wings wide. “Not even for five minutes!”

Winter hid the hurt in his face behind a stoic mask of insufferable indifference. “What are you babbling about, SandWing?”

“You! You and your igloo-for-brained, arrogant, cactus of a temper! You didn’t need to go that far!”

“She lied to us,” the prince glared. “Again. She’s sticking up for that monster, and you expect me to play nice?”

“It’s okay to feel hurt,” Qibli argued, “but Moon is out there, on her own, doesn’t know who to trust, and needs our help! How’re we supposed to find her now - because I doubt she’s going to talk to us again for fear of being screamed at by you!”

Turtle tried to get their attention. “Um, guys? Maybe we should-”

“Moon’s not an idiot,” Winter snorted. “She won’t cut us off.”

Qibli’s venomous tail swished from side to side. “I’m surprised to hear you admit that - because you told her the opposite. Do you even hear yourself when you get like that? Like everyone is beneath you. Like your problems and fears are more important than ours.” 

_ That  _ got to him. “I… I don’t know what you…”

“You think you’re the only one who worries about her?” the SandWing hissed, coming in close until he was snout-to-snout with the IceWing. “We’re all worried about her! None of us are sleeping for fear of what she’s going through - by the sand, Moon’s  _ living through _ all this and you still can’t put someone else first!”

Peril didn’t know if those words had gotten through to the ice-cube’s brain or if this would escalate into a real fight. But she had to be sure it wouldn’t. So, she stepped up next to them and stuck her arm between them. The pair leapt away from her - and coincidentally from each other.

“Look,” Turtle butted in again. “We’re all tired. Why don’t we all go get some rest? Things’ll look better in the morning.”

“Good idea.” the pair said at the exact same time. 

Winter thrust the seashell into Turtle’s talons and then skulked off out of the cave. Peril watched him go. She didn’t know what compelled her, aside from the fact that she  _ really  _ didn’t want to talk to Turtle right now and if she stayed he would try. So she went after the moody IceWing, and found him on the ledge outside, the exact spot where she and Moon had had their conversation the morning of her hatchday. It seemed like a lifetime ago. 

She tried to sit on the ledge with him, as far as possible so as not to brush him even by accident. Winter attempted to ignore her presence, instead scowling out into the darkening evening. If this was going to be a game, she’d win, so refused to speak first. 

“What do you want?” he asked at last.

“Hello to you too, freeze-face.”

“Why do you do that?” he snapped, turning his head to glare at her. “Aggravate me with the name-calling?”

To further rub it in, she refused to look his way. “You made it very clear from the beginning we wouldn’t be best friends. I learned a long time ago to always be on the offensive to those who don’t like me.”

“I don’t dislike you,” he said after a small pause, surprising her. “You’ve more than proven yourself as a soldier capable of not ruining everything you touch.”

Her lips twitched. “See, I’m bad at social things, but even I recognised there was a compliment buried in there somewhere.”

He took a breath, gaze far off in the distance as if he could see his inner workings on the air and had to study them to make sense of them. “When you first arrived, we knew who you were right away. You represented everything we’d ever heard about Queen Scarlet and her arena. I’d thought my brother died on those sands. I guess it felt easier to take out my grief on something I had right in front of me.”

Wow. This hadn’t been what she’d intended when she’d come out here. It felt almost sacrilege to break this moment.

“I understand, in a weird way.” She stared at her claws, burning a patch of moss into a blackened smear on the rocks. “I was told my whole life that I burned up my twin in our egg. And then I learned that he lived and was killed by our mother in some twisted way to save me. When I finally met her, I was hurting over the brother I’d always blamed myself for murdering, and I wanted to take it out on someone else. So I took it out on her. And then… she died. And I never got to take it back.”

Kestrel had not been in the realm of anything she’d imagined her mother would be. But the grief of losing her still hurt. If she’d gone with her, would her mother still be alive? Those kinds of questions haunted her at night. 

“I’m sorry.” Winter said quietly. “For everything.”

Peril couldn’t help the surprised laugh that burst out of her mouth. “Wow, Qibli was right.”

Winter rolled his eyes. “That I’m an igloo-for-brained cactus? Who… who pushes dragons around because I can’t control my emotions...”

“No. He said you were better than you thought you were.” That earned her something in his gaze. She wasn’t quite sure what, except that it wasn’t bad. The pair of them returned to searching the horizon for nothing in particular. “I get her, you know.”

“Who?”

“Moon.” At his frown, she elaborated: “For as long as I can remember, I was told I couldn’t touch anyone - not unless I was ordered to kill them. I had to be careful about my own body wherever I went. Dragons avoided me because of it. But then I met Clay. He was nice, he told me I wasn’t a monster, and I could touch him and he wouldn’t die. Even after Scarlet fell, after I came here, I clung to him because there was something special about the first person who showed me I was worth something, the first person to accept me and not be frightened of me.”

There were so many things she wanted to say about sweet, brave, wonderful Clay. But those were not words she wanted to share with Winter. Only on a day when she was sure Clay felt the same way, and she had the courage to say them aloud would she dare to even try. Right now though, she had a point to make.

“That’s what Moon has with Darkstalker. Don’t get me wrong, she’s completely misguided, because it’s obvious he’s evil. But I understand why - she had a father who was awful, and then lost everything she ever knew, and then came here and her powers must’ve been terrible, hearing everyone all at once all the time. She nearly fell apart and he put her back together. He was the first one who accepted her.”

Winter didn’t talk for a while, his brow and muzzle creasing as if he’d eaten something foul. “I hate it when you make sense.” He hung his head in defeat. “Alright. I’ll apologise to her. She’s owed that much from me, at least.”

* * *

With the connection severed, Moon slowly released the bedsheets from between her fists. Her jaw ached, and she realised she’d been clenching it. She took one deep breath, and then another. 

The tears came no matter how much she tried to fight it. In the end, she gave up fighting, grabbed an old, stinking pillow and sobbed into it. For just a moment she’d been so happy to hear her friends again, to know they were alright - that Kinkajou was alright! But then everything had fallen apart. All her lies had been laid bare and she felt rotten from the inside out. She was the worst dragon and now her friends knew it. But even so, she was hurt by their reactions - Winter’s most of all. His scathing remarks cut her deeper than she thought he could. Did he really not trust her? Had she lost her friends forever over her lies? 

She cried until long after sunset, when the moons had started to shine through to her antechamber windows. It wouldn’t be long before Darkstalker came to find her, if he would at all after last night. Maybe he had had enough of her too. Moon tried to wipe away her tears, feeling wretched. 

There was a knock at her apartment door. 

“Moon?” called Darkstalker’s voice through the wood. “Are you up?”

For a moment, she panicked. Had he heard that conversation? Would he learn it from her thoughts? Her talon reached up to brush her ear - the earring was still in place. Scrambling out of bed, she passed a dirty mirror and tried to check her face to be sure no tears remained.

“Yes, I am. I’m coming.” She called as she hurried out of her bedroom, through her antechamber and to the door. 

The doors were old and soft with rot - it would be easy for a dragon of Darkstalker’s size to break it in half without even trying. Opening the door, she welcomed him inside her rooms. He swept in, his scales shimmering in the light streaming in through her windows. 

“I wanted to apologise for leaving so abruptly last night. I -” He stopped, staring at her, dark and blue eyes widening. Moon panicked that something was wrong, and then he stooped in front of her, reaching out with a claw to touch her face but stopping just short. “Stars and skies, are you alright? You look like you’ve been crying.”

“I’m fine. Really.” She rubbed at her face, self-conscious under his worrying gaze. “Bad dream. Thinking of my mother, and my friends.”

That hadn’t been a lie. She actually had had a bad dream about her mother during the day. It had been awful, which was why she’d been so happy to hear from her friends… until that all went south. Darkstalker watched her, but Moon couldn’t see anything in his eyes to tell her he could read what had actually happened from her mind. It made her shoulders relax a little. It proved that the earring was working and that Turtle’s spell had gone unnoticed.

“It’ll be alright, Moon.” Darkstalker unfolded a wing and settled it across her back in comfort. “You’ll see them again soon, I promise. We’re going to make the world better for them all. Nothing should keep us apart from the ones we love...”

His voice was quiet but filled with certainty. For a moment, Moon genuinely believed him. He had this way of making her believe anything was possible with his voice alone. 

He pulled away with a smile. “How about we take your mind off things with a good breakfast and some lessons?”

A new night, a new opportunity to learn. Her friends might not have faith in her right now, but Moon would prove to them she had a handle on this. She smiled and followed Darkstalker out. “That’s just what I need.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much everyone for all your lovely comments! I hope you continue to enjoy the story - and please don't forget to leave me feedback!


	22. Helping Friends

After a good breakfast, like he’d promised, Darkstalker led Moon out into the city for another lesson. She did her best to banish thoughts of the scathing remarks from her friends, but it still made her heart heavy. Not even the light of the three moons on such a clear night could soothe her like they normally did. There was not a single cloud in the night sky, allowing a chill to creep across her wings. Spring flowers were creeping out from their underground beds, but it wasn’t warm yet. 

Darkstalker took her to what once must’ve been a small park, filled with climbing frames, gliding platforms, and jumping rails. Most of it was destroyed, the grassy hills overgrown. But it wasn’t hard to imagine this place filled with the laughter of tiny dragonets, too young for school, their parents watching over them from the benches to the side. It was the little details like this that allowed Moon to believe that this was once a thriving city, not just a monolith to some unknown entity beyond remembrance.

Before she could speak, Darkstalker held up a claw to his lips for silence. He beckoned her to follow. Hunkering down, he crept behind overgrown bushes and trees at the side of the park. It was rather comical for a dragon of his size to try to sneak at all, even when he laid his skinny stomach flat against the ground and pulled his wings down and tight against his body. Moon followed as best she could, though there wasn’t much room in his hiding spot, thanks to his big bulk. He seemed to realise and gave a strained smile in apology. Squishing himself against the building wall behind him, he made enough room for her to get in. It wasn’t very comfortable, and her flank was pressed against the cradle made by his thigh and waist. 

_ What’re we doing here?  _ She asked in her mind.

**_You’ll see,_ ** was all he said at first.  **_It might take a little while, but our prey should be coming along shortly…_ **

She frowned.  _ Our prey? But we just ate!  _

**_Not that kind of prey._ **

It did take long for her to realise what he was talking about. From across the playground, there was a scuttle amongst the grass. Then, climbing up a broken ladder of a slide, was a monitor lizard. It sat there for a while, forked tongue flicking in and out as it tried to find prey. It seemed almost completely oblivious to their presence.

Darkstalker put his talon over hers.  **_Not yet…_ **

They watched the lizard as it prowled closer and closer. It didn’t seem aware of their presence, either that, or it had been so long since dragons had lived here, that it had no clue as to what they were. It came to just within reach of them, and when it did so, Darkstalker lunged out of the bushes with frightening speed - it should have been impossible for something of his size to move so swiftly! He hadn’t even ruffled Moon as he’d rushed past her. The lizard was snatched up in his claws before it had the chance to turn. The NightWing drake held it in his claws, grinning with all his teeth, the moons bright behind him, casting his face in shadow aside from the glint of a pale blue-silver iris. 

Moon was rooted to the spot, her throat choked as she stared at him. But then he moved, reaching to beckon her out, and then his usual warm smile was there, his eyes bright with excitement. A shiver ran down Moon’s spine as she crawled out. What had happened there? 

The lizard squirmed in Darkstalker’s talon but was not hurt in any way. He brandished the lizard with a triumphant grin. “ _ This _ is your lesson!”

Moon frowned. “How to catch a lizard?”

“Don’t be a ninny. Look into its mind.” 

Animals didn’t have thoughts, not in the way dragons did, at least. But she did as asked, and tried to delve into the mind that belonged to the monitor lizard. As she suspected, its mind was not very complex. There was more of a ‘life-force’ glow to it, the warmth of something alive was what she could feel. Along with basic emotions such as hunger and fear. But there were no words, no actual ‘thought-process’ for her to read. 

“It’s a lizard. What is the point of this?” she asked.

Darkstalker twisted his talon so that he might study his prize from all angles. “This lizard recently came out of hibernation. There’s a whole colony of them back there,” he gestured his head to the hill in the centre of the playground. Sure enough, Moon now noticed a series of small holes; entrances to burrows. “What we’re trying to do is teach you to find a particular mind even when it is drowned out by other voices. We lack a crowd to do this in, so we can try with this. If you can pick out one lizard’s mind amidst a group, you will have no problem finding the dragon of your choice in a crowd.”

Anxiety made her stomach twist. “Doesn’t this sound a bit advanced? I haven’t even mastered the techniques we tried last night.” 

“You’ll get the hang of it. I want to try everything, to see where your strengths are so that then we can build on your weaknesses.”

He plucked a white flower from the bushes they’d been hiding behind, and smeared it over the lizard’s back. A white residue was rubbed off on its scales, leaving an easy identifier. Frantically, Moon tried to read as much as she could from the lizard, familiarising herself with its emotions in the hope of finding something to mark it from any others. 

**_You’ll do fine,_ ** said his soothing voice in her head.  **_You’re worrying a hole in the floor. Relax and trust yourself._ **

Moon’s eyes shot downward. Sure enough, her claws had been digging furrows in the ground without her knowing. She bit her lip, willing herself to calm down and failing spectacularly. Darkstalker gave her a smile and then placed the lizard on the ground. There was a breathless moment where it froze, as if to be sure it was really free. And then, all at once it burst with energy and raced back across the park. Moon tried to keep up with it, mind to mind, so that she wouldn’t lose it. But the moment that it ducked into a burrow, it was swallowed by a sea of similar minds. 

The task was supposedly simple - follow the mind of the lizard and retrieve it. On shaking talons, Moon went to the burrow. She sat and scrunched her eyes shut, searching a dozen lizard-minds under the earth for anything that felt familiar. But all of their minds were like clones of the other - indistinguishable and foreign. Was it this one, who had a stab of extra hunger? Or that one who was a little more afraid than the others? The longer she took to decide, her anxiety grew. It was like she could feel Darkstalker’s eyes on her back, could hear the tick of time as it went by. 

All her lessons with her father came rushing back. She wasn’t good enough, she was failing!

Latching onto a mind she was almost sure was the right one, she thrust her talon into the burrow and grabbed hold of it. A chorus of hisses came her way but she quickly pulled out her prize. Only to find the lizard in her grasp had no white stripe. 

“Moon-” Darkstalker tried, his voice gentle. 

But she panicked. Putting the lizard down, she went to the mind she had first thought might be her prey. Sticking her talon into that one’s burrow, she pulled it out. Still not the right one. One final time, she plunged - 

“Moon, stop.” Darkstalker said, catching hold of her wrist before she could put her hand back into the nest of now angry lizards. 

Now she’d done it - she’d failed utterly. She pulled her arm out of his grasp and immediately ducked low in submission. “I’m sorry!” she burst, and then cursed herself. Her father had always said that wasn’t a very NightWing thing to say. “I’ll do better next time, I promise!”

“Moon, it’s alright,” he was saying. “Why would you-”

“I can do better this time! Just give me another chance, I’ll do it right-”

**_Moon._ ** His voice resounded in her head like a gong. She froze, as if awoken from a terrible nightmare. An abyss yawned in her mind, ready to swallow her sense of self. But then, Darkstalker’s mind was within hers, his music washing over her mind and bringing her back from the brink.  **_You’re fine. You did fine._ **

_ How can you say that,  _ she whispered back. Slowly, giving her ample chance to reject him, he reached out to take her talons in his. The solidity of his flesh against hers helped to ground her.  _ I completely failed the test. _

**_It wasn’t a test, it was a lesson. And it is perfectly fine not to get them correct the first time. And you were on edge right from the start. Forgive me, next time I’ll be sure you’re okay._ **

_ How disappointed you must be, to have a student as pathetic as me.  _

A soft growl rumbled out of his chest. And then he did something unexpected: he pressed his forehead against hers. Moon froze, shocked by the action, but it wasn’t unwelcome.  **_Your father should be ashamed of himself for doing this to you!_ **

“He…” her voice croaked a little and she swallowed. “He did the best he could, to motivate me-”

“Tosh!” He snorted. And Moon didn’t know whether it was because he’d said such an absurd word, or the intensity of her emotions had made her hysterical, but she laughed. “You are not a failure, Moon. And you are not pathetic. It is your father who has failed  _ you _ .”

“But what if I keep failing?” she couldn’t help but ask fearfully.

“Then you fail. And we will try again and again, until we get it right. Like with the raindrops. And the dream-pulls. You’re stronger than you think, Moon, I know it. Just stay calm. I’m never going to hurt you like he did.”

And she believed him wholeheartedly. If the previous night had been the first clue, his actions now fully cemented in her mind that he wasn’t like Morrowseer. He wouldn’t get impatient with her, scare her, yell at her, or only accept perfection. Darkstalker was gentle, encouraging and funny. He made her feel safe. 

“You’re rather good at these pep-talks,” she said with a watery smile. 

Darkstalker huffed in amusement as he pulled back his head. He dropped her talons but blanketed his wing over her back. “This isn’t my first experience with terrible self-esteem thanks to horrible families.”

“Oh?” she quirked a brow. “Who else?”

“Well, I had to endure it like you do,” he said. “But later I had to uplift a friend as well…”

He trailed off, his smile fading and his gaze going distant. Moon watched his face, perplexed. It was as if all the warmth had been sucked out of Darkstalker, and in his eyes came many fleeting emotions. Anger, hurt, guilt, hate. 

“Was it… was it Fathom?” she asked quietly. 

“Yes.” The word was clipped, but Moon got the impression that he wasn’t being bad tempered with her. He held his head high, avoiding eye contact. “A lot of good that did me.” 

He stalked off, heading in the vague direction of the city centre and the Great Diamond. Clearly, he didn’t want to have this conversation. Moon didn’t know why, but she felt like she had to try and draw it out of him. With longer legs, he tried to keep ahead of her, but she was determined to keep pace. 

“You’ve always talked about Fathom as if you knew him before…” she stopped, unsure how to say  _ ‘before you apparently turned evil and he had to stop you’ _ without offending him. “How did you two meet?”

“He showed up.” Was the only answer he provided. 

Moon rolled her eyes. So he was going to act like a dragonet? Very well. “What was it like, knowing another animus? I know you had your father -”

“Ha!” Darkstalker’s bark of laughter held no mirth. “My father was as useful as a paper thimble when it came to anything about magic!”

“Then you and Fathom really only had each other.” 

He stopped, head snapping to give her a hard stare. “Why are you so insistent on this line of conversation?”

“Because it’s clear to me that you cared for Fathom at some point in time,” she tried to say as gently as possible.

“Of course I did! He was like a brother to me - made it all the easier for him to stab me in the back.” he growled.

“You keep focusing on the betrayal, Darkstalker. You’re forgetting to remember the good memories, too.”

“You would, if you knew what he did.”

She set her jaw determinedly. “Then show me. Share with me those memories in exchange for a spell.”

The wind whistled between them, stirring dust and dried, uprooted weeds along the road. Darkstalker stood in thought for a moment. It was clear he didn’t like this idea. Moon wondered if she’d pushed it too far. She didn’t want to hurt him again like she had last night, but she also needed to know his story. It was the only way to prove to her friends that Darkstalker wasn’t the monster of legend. 

Eventually, he accepted her terms, and then led her to where he wanted to perform his spell. There was one bridge that connected the Great Diamond to the living district that had fallen apart centuries ago. Moon gave him specific instructions for his magic, as she always did, and he got to work setting it right. Stones that had fallen into the ravine below now defied gravity and were restored to their former place in the bridge. Vines and bushes that had grown in the cracks of the stonework were stripped out so that the cement could be made as good as new. 

“Might as well get two birds with one snap,” Darkstalker said after a while. He extended his tail to Moon, and she did not hesitate to twine hers with his. Closing her eyes, she allowed their minds to meld together and be pulled into the flood of sensations and memories. It was getting easier to handle the more they did this.

And then as one, they pulled up the memories they needed and re-lived them. 

_ It was around their third birthday when they heard the rumours of the Royal SeaWing massacre. Father had been an emotional wreck, his mind filled to the brim with fear and panic. Prince Albatross of the SeaWings had been one of the most decorated animus dragons in Pyrrhian history. Queen Lagoon always loved to show him off and all of his enchantments. It was how she kept the MudWings at bay for so long. They had studied the SeaWing animus bloodline with their tutors for - _

_ The memory shifted slightly.  _

_ Queen Vigilance had invited their family to the palace. Well, Whiteout stayed home - ‘less embarrassment’ had been the words used, which made them angry. It didn’t seem fair. Whiteout wasn’t broken, and she shouldn’t be treated as such! And on the other talon, why wasn’t she being monitored too? Why didn’t she have to suffer the awful training and do the exhausting work and - _

_ The memory shifted away  _ **_again._ **

_ “He was found washed up on Claw Beach,” the Queen was saying. “Apparently, he’s one of the few survivors.” _

_ “And you want us to keep him?” mother asked.  _

_ “I think that would be fitting.” Vigilance said, pretending to look bored. But they could hear in her head how she was brimming with excitement. She wanted three animus dragons under her control. “What better place for an animus? The drakes can be good influences on each other.” _

_ A door had opened, and a green SeaWing was escorted into the throne room. He couldn’t have been more than a year older than them. His eyes were wide, terrified, and his thoughts were spinning, filled with blood and tears and grief. And in the mind of the queen, she knew all this, but didn’t care. It was heartbreaking.  _

_ Though they knew they would be in a lot of trouble later, they still decided to step out of bounds and walk towards the SeaWing without being told to. He shrank away from them, limbs trembling. They could see futures where the pair of them became the best of friends, and they could also see futures where this little SeaWing was the most miserable creature in all the world. And so they made a vow that day to never let those futures come true.  _

_ Slowly, gently, they put a wing over his. “We’re going to be brothers now.” they said with a smile. “My name’s Darkstalker - what’s yours?” _

_ “F-Fathom,” though their fear was still very strong, in the depths of their soul was the faintest glimmer of hope.  _

_ The memory faded and in came another, from a few days later.  _

_ It was decided that Fathom would live with them, but he was quiet and always sad. Father had already decided to fill Fathom’s head with all his horrible lectures about souls and corruption. Was it meant to be a form of consoling? They were not sure. Whiteout had been moved into her own room so the young drakes could share one. They all waited for the moment Fathom would join them as a member of the family, but he wandered their house silently and obediently, like a ghost.  _

_ That day, they awoke because their mind was filled with Fathom’s worst nightmares. Fathom was having to adjust to the NightWing sleep schedule of sleeping during the day, and it was hard. When he did manage to sleep, however, it was always filled with all sorts of bad dreams. He was living through the massacre in his dreams. He watched his grandfather kill his Queen, his mother and father, hurt his friend - he had to stop him, he had to! They saw in Fathom’s dreams how he killed his grandfather and then ran away, too frightened of his own power to stay. It was a mess of shame and horror. They had to stop it.  _

_ They woke him up, but he was still half in the dream and shrieked. “AH! No-no! Stop it!” _

_ “Fathom?” they drew back, trying to let him calm down. “You’re safe, it’s alright.” _

_ He didn’t say anything for a long time, his mind slowly catching up on where he was and that the dream had been just that - a dream. But instead of coming back to normal, Fathom instead ducked his head under his wings and began to cry. They felt distress - why couldn’t they make him better?  _

_ An idea came to them. It had to be kept secret, otherwise they’d be in big trouble, but something had to be done. They ran to their satchel hanging by the door and pulled out a small coin. They held it in their talons and whispered: “I enchant this coin so that whenever Fathom holds it, it helps him to not feel sad or frightened.”  _

_ They quickly returned to Fathom, a smile on their face. “Here, Fathom! This will make you feel better.” _

_ Fathom took the coin, a little confused. But as soon as he felt its magic begin to work, he dropped it with a gasp. “You-You used your magic! You can’t do that, Darkstalker! You can’t!” _

_ “But… I was only trying to help…” They looked from their friend to the coin, not sure why this wasn’t working like they wanted. “If I can make you better, why shouldn’t I?” _

_ “Magic is evil!” Fathom whispered. “It makes you lose your soul, it turns you into…”  _ Into Albatross…  _ his mind finished for him. “I’ll never use my magic! I swear by all that is sacred! I’ll never use it! Never, never… never…”  _

_ He cried. They sat beside him, slowly putting a wing across his back. Fathom’s scales glowed softly, in strange patterns that they read in his mind meant that he was sorry and he just wanted his mummy. They tried to imagine a world without their mother, even though she could only share her love when no one was watching. What an awful existence. Thankfully, it wasn’t in any future they could see coming. But still, how awful for poor Fathom.  _

_ They laid next to Fathom, wing still across his back, their neck laid over his. Whiteout always liked it when they did this whenever she was upset. “You don’t think I’m bad, Fathom, do you?” _

_ “No!” Fathom said, shocked by the question. In his head they saw how he had secretly been worshipping them in his silence over the past few days. “You’re not bad, Darkstalker. But I don’t want you or me to become like him…” _

_ “We won’t.” they promised. “You know why? Because I’ve got you, and you’ve got me. We can look out for each other to make sure the other one doesn’t turn evil. Right?” _

_ Fathom didn’t respond with words, but they could feel the sunbursts of warmth and joy in his chest. After a while of laying there, he finally asked: “Did you really mean it? I mean, when you said we were brothers now?” _

_ “Of course I did, you wolly!” they chuckled. “I’ve never had a brother before. I think it’ll be fun!” _

_ “I… I do too.” _

_ The memory faded away.  _

_ Over the next year, Fathom lived with them and they lived up to their promise to slowly let him forget about his past trauma. It was always a great day when they got Fathom to laugh, and the bad days where he didn’t even smile became less and less. The pair of them did everything together. Mother even convinced the Queen to let Fathom attend NightWing school with them and Whiteout. They really became like brothers. They studied together, played together, raced to the dinner table to fight over the best portions, argued over books and jewelryjewellery. Though they loved Whiteout dearly, Fathom was his best friend without a doubt.  _

_ One night, they were flying back from the academy, and Fathom wasn’t being very talkative. They stared at him, waiting for the words they could hear building up in his head. Finally, Fathom said: “I saw that back in math class. Endeavor didn’t just ‘accidentally’ break his own chair!” _

_ They shrugged, smirking. “Not my fault if he isn’t watching what he eats.” _

_ “And then his books falling on his face? They nearly broke his nose!” _

_ “Perhaps someone should tell him that’s not what they mean when they say ‘nose stuck in a book’.”  _

_ “It’s not funny!” Fathom scowled. “You shouldn’t be using your powers on such petty things like this.” _

_ Their smile faded. “It wasn’t petty. Endeavor was picking on that girl, Miasma, and I can see in his head how he was going to move on to you next. Because he could see how upset you were. He’s a bully that needed to be taught a lesson.” _

_ “There’s always a justification,” Fathom muttered. “Magic is a powerful force, and you shouldn’t waste it. You don’t know the damage it could do.”  _

_ “Yes, but what  _ **_good_ ** _ can it do if we never use it?” they argued passionately. “Fathom, you could do so many good things - change dragons’ lives for the better. Look at that dragonet we saw this morning. His wings were born wrong and he’ll never fly right. We could change that, Fathom, you and I.”  _

_ The SeaWing was quiet for a while. His mind kept ticking over those words. He was slowly building his confidence about his gift, but he still remembered his sacred vow, and it held him back. But that was fine, they were willing to wait and encourage Fathom bit by bit until he blossomed into the great animus their visions told them he could be.  _

_ The memory faded away.  _

_ It was 3012, they were five now, and flying west as fast as they possibly could. Dawn wasn’t far off, they were already past curfew but tonight was a night for breaking the rules. Even play-by-the-rules Fathom was feeling giddy. They led the way, calling to their companions to keep up. A brush of a wing along theirs. They looked left and were met with beautiful amethyst eyes. Of course she was close, she could feel this need to be close as they did, that destiny itself was entwining their lives, their powers, their very beings together.  _

_ The smell of the salty sea wafted up to their nose and they dived out of the sky, the other two hot on their tail. They came across the rocky beach, and they expertly led the way to a secluded cove. The water was a stunning shade of midnight blue and green here. It would look even better when the sun just broke over the horizon.  _

_ “Darkstalker!” cried their soulmate with a laugh. “Why don’t you just tell us what this is all about?” _

_ As if she didn’t already know! There was no way she would have resisted the temptation to peek into the future, despite his wishes. “You don’t have to wait long! We’re here!” _

_ They landed, and they could already feel the shock of both their love and brother. Fathom stepped ahead as if in a daze. In front of them stood two houses carved into the cliff side by side. Pride made their chest swell. It had taken several nights, their magic having to twist the stone just right in order to achieve the perfection they had envisioned.  _

_ “This… this is for us?” asked their love quietly.  _

_ Fathom spun. “You can’t mean this!” he gaped. _

_ They grinned. “I do. One for Clearsight and myself, and of course my brother would be living next door. How else are our dragonets going to be able to see their favourite uncle whenever they want?” _

_ Clearsight tucked her head beneath their chin and nuzzled their neck, humming happily. Of course her mind was elsewhere but in this moment, they couldn’t help but think, a little annoyed. Though, they couldn’t exactly blame her, she was in the vision they had just described, happily watching their dragonets play in the sand before rushing off to tackle Fathom as he came out of the sea.  _

_ There were no visions anymore of Fathom returning to his own tribe. Why should there be? Fathom had a family here, one that valued him and whom he loved just as well. This was the place that Fathom was truly accepted - news of Queen Pearl, Fathom’s sister who had miraculously survived the massacre, banishing all magic from her kingdom had reached even these distant shores. Though Fathom was oblivious. And it was better that way. They couldn’t imagine life without their brother, Fathom made their gruelling life a little easier with his laughter and caring heart.  _

_ “But… what about our duties in the city?” Fathom asked. “Surely the Queen won’t let us-” _

_ “It won’t be today,” they said. “But someday, Fathom, the war will end, peace will reign across the continent, and we are all going to get the happily-ever-after we want. The one we deserve. I promise.” _

_ Their love sighed sadly and disengaged from him. “You will be sent out to war a week after your sixth hatchingday.” She said it with finality. She’d obviously foreseen this. “So many variables exist in the chaos of battle. What if…” _

_ “Nothing will happen to me.” They wouldn’t allow it. _

_ “Even if not,” said Fathom. “You’ll be so far away…”  _

_ They couldn’t stop the grin that spread across their face. “Actually, I won’t!” and from their satchel, they pulled out three star-shaped sapphires. They held out one to Fathom and one to their love and held onto the last. The other two looked at the jewels curiously. “I call these Dreamvisitors. All you have to do is hold them and close your eyes and think of someone. Then you can step into their dreams. So now, no matter where I go, what any of us end up doing in the days ahead, we’ll all still be together. No matter what.” _

_ The others were touched by this gesture, but there was a worming doubt that spoiled the mood. “Another spell?” Fathom asked. “The Queen has you casting so many… How do you know…?” _

_ “I checked.” they replied. They had foreseen this coming and was glad to have made preparations. From the satchel, they pulled out a telescope with an hourglass attached. One end held purely black sand, the other held white. “This is a Soulreader. Point it at any dragon you wish, and it will tell you how evil their soul is. Black sand for good, white for evil.”  _

_ To demonstrate, they pointed it at their own chest. The hourglass spun, and finally settled. The sand in the bottom chamber was mostly black with only a few sprinklings of white. They then pointed it at Fathom, and the result was almost identical. Fathom stared in amazement. With a gentle smile, they handed it over him. _

_ “Keep it,” they said. “And if you ever have any other doubts… you know you can rely on this to always tell you the truth.” _

_ Fathom clutched the Soulreader to his chest, his eyes glistening. “Thank you, brother.”  _

Darkstalker slowly disengaged his mind from Moon’s, and she returned to her own sense of self again. As she opened her eyes, she saw that the bridge was now complete and looking almost brand new. Darkstalker stared into the distance, his wings drooping and his head hung low. 

Thinking over these new memories, Moon tried to find the part where Darkstalker could ever learn to hate the friend he had loved like a brother. The circumstances of Fathom’s actions that put Darkstalker in the ground two thousand years ago was still unclear. But surely what could have been bad enough to make him forget these wonderful memories? 

Or perhaps… he hadn’t forgotten, she realised as she looked upon Darkstalker’s contemplative but sad blue eyes. He’d merely pushed these memories aside, and reliving them again was making him feel things he didn’t want to feel. Not wanting to push him too far like she had last night, she tried to think of something different to say to fill the silence. 

“That was Clearsight, wasn’t it?” she asked. He had spoken of her very little in all the time she’d known him, but she knew she held an important role in this story. “What was she like?”

He didn’t answer at first. Instead, he turned his head just enough to stare at her out of the corner of one eye. He held that stare, unblinking, for an awfully long time. Moon felt the beginnings of some revelation dawning at the back of her mind, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. The more the silence stretched, the more awkward she felt. Finally, after what felt like a small eternity, Darkstalker turned away and sighed.

“Forgive me, Moon. But I don’t think I can get into that tonight.” he said at last. “One spell, one story, that was our deal.”

“But-”

A loud crash and a shriek of pain echoed across the city. Moon and Darkstalker froze, they snapped their heads in the direction of the sound. Had they really just heard a voice? But wasn’t this city supposed to be abandoned?! Whoever was there, they were too far away to hear their thoughts. 

As one, the pair leapt into the sky and raced towards the sound, though Moon was quite sure if it was for the same reasons. They flew to the northern outskirts of the city, to a rather large, if rickety old house with a hole in its roof. They landed on silent talons, though there was not a sound to be heard. But then, shuffling and rummaging came from within the house.

_ Darkstalker, someone’s here!  _ Moon said telepathically. 

For a dragon of his size, Darkstalker moved scarily quietly as he pressed himself against the wall of the house, just out of sight of the doorway. Moon followed him without question. His body language spoke to her own, his defensive position unconsciously making her prepare for a threat. Her heart started to pick up speed. 

_ Who do you think it is?  _ She asked.

**_I don’t know._ ** He replied after a moment. He turned his head to catch her eye with his.  **_Stay behind me._ **

Moon felt her stomach flip. A thousand different bad scenarios flittered through her imagination. But she trusted him, and nodded.

Slowly, Darkstalker crept forward, Moon so close behind him she almost stepped on his tail. They turned into the large doorway, Darkstalker having to hunker down a little in order to fit. The place was a mess - with pottery broken, ancient furniture overturned and even a bit of the ceiling broken down. Thoughts came to Moon from the back room, mostly indistinct mutterings though now and again something about value would come through clearly. She looked at Darkstalker but he shrugged his wings, just as baffled as she. 

But then, the dragon from the back came through. Upon seeing the two of them, they froze, stunned. She was a SandWing, perhaps in her late forties or fifties, but stunted in growth and nearly as skinny as Darkstalker. Scales chipped and scraggly, she looked like she’d lived on the edge of starvation her entire life. In her talons, she held an old box lined with faded leather, but at the very edges was trimmed with gold. 

Moon realised what this SandWing was doing at the same time as she felt Darkstalker's violent outrage as he too figured it out. This SandWing was here to steal whatever was left of the NightWing kingdom. 


	23. A Question of Honour

There was silence for only two heartbeats. And then, "What do you think you're doing?!"

Darkstalker's voice roared so loud and so ferociously that Moon leapt away from him in fright. She'd never heard him use that tone of voice before. His pupils were thin slits, his lips pulled back over his teeth. His mind was completely shut off to her, as if he wasn't even there anymore.

The strange SandWing recognised the threat and quickly lost her shock in favour of hostility. She bared her fangs and clutched her findings close to her breast. Her mind was a jumbled mess of desperation and possessiveness. Darkstalker reached his talons out to her with lightning fast movements. The SandWing managed to dodge his first strike. His claws looked so long in the dim light, Moon panicked that he meant to spear the stranger with them!

"Darkstalker! Don't-!"

Her words distracted him for half a second. Time enough for the SandWing to blast him in the face with her fire. He snarled and flinched back. Moon cried out, horrified. She picked up the nearest object - an old table leg - and swung it at the SandWing. It hit her neck, just above her shoulder. She was so thin and gangly, the blow nearly sent her tumbling. She roared at Moon, wings flared wide.

Moon didn't want to fight her, but she wouldn't watch her friend be hurt either.

The SandWing leapt at her, claws on one talon swiping for her face, the other still clutched her treasures. Moon hopped back a step to avoid the blow, but the place was such a mess that she stumbled on debris. The SandWing took her moment, and thrust the end of her poisonous tail straight towards Moon's neck.

A pounding headache crashed through the NightWing's skull. Her powers screamed at her, showing her visions of a barbed tail stabbing into her flesh! The burning pain, the agony of a slow death -

Talons seized her shoulders and hauled her backwards. A blanket of stars enveloped and shielded her from the world. A soft _thunk_ as the attacking tail hit the scales on the other side.

Moon blinked, surprised at not being dead. She looked up, and found Darkstalker all around her. He growled savagely, his focus on his wing that he'd thrown up in front of them both. With a snarl, he shoved his wing back, and batted the SandWing, throwing her across the room. The walls were old and weak, and crumbled under her as she hit it.

Realisation of what he'd done invaded Moon's mind. Frantically, she grabbed hold of the edge of his wing and pulled it down so she could see it. Her heart crashed against her ribs - he couldn't be hurt protecting her! The poison would kill him -

But his scales looked as they always had, as if nothing at all had occurred. It took Moon a moment to remember the old story, that Darkstalker had made himself immortal and his scales invulnerable. A large talon enveloped hers, giving her a comforting squeeze.

A hiss from the other room, they both snapped their heads up to look. The SandWing crawled to her feet. On her side was a satchel, and she quickly put her stolen goods in the old, frayed leather bag. "Can't 'ave it! T'is is my pickin's!"

There was a rumble, and then, Darkstalker stretched his neck and unleashed a torrent of fire at the SandWing. She yelped, ducked and rolled. Her body slammed into a support beam. The wood had rotted long ago from damp and age, and it only took that small amount of stress for it to completely snap.

Above, the ceiling groaned for just a few seconds. Darkstalker and Moon inhaled sharply and both threw themselves down. Shadows swallowed her as Darkstalker covered himself and her with his wings. The crash of the ceiling falling all around them was a cacophony in Moon's ears. Darkstalker grunted as large chunks hit his back and sides.

Peeking from between the curve of his wings, Moon spotted the SandWing clawing her way out of range of the collapse and leaping for a smaller hole in the ceiling at the back of the building. That was how she had likely gotten in. Her ears began to clear as the building finally reached a pause in its own destruction. Darkstalker slowly pulled back his wings, letting Moon stand. Dust filled her nose and she coughed.

"I've got her!" Moon yelled and leapt after the SandWing.

"Moon! Don't!" Darkstalker called after her, but she was already climbing through the hole in the ceiling that her quarry had used. She heard Darkstalker try to follow, but the hole was too small for him, and the collapse had partially blocked the door they had come through. He would have to dig his way out. Old claustrophobia crept across his mind. He roared.

Moon flung herself into the air. She couldn't think about Darkstalker right now, or what she was doing. All she knew was that she needed to stop that SandWing. One, because stealing the heritage of her ancestors felt wrong; and two, this was the first dragon she'd seen since awakening here. She needed to speak to them.

Her wings beat fast against the wind. The SandWing had a lead and was headed for the northern mountains. She must know the way through, Moon guessed, or else she would never have found the Night Kingdom in the first place. The SandWing looked back only once, eyes wide, and put on a burst of speed to escape.

"Wait!" Moon called. "I mean you no harm! I just want to talk!"

The SandWing paid her little mind, and soon they were swooping through the rocky slopes of the mountains. Moon tried to keep the SandWing in her sights, but she could already feel the subtle deep-magic of the mountains trying to confuse her. Ahead, the SandWing kicked out a loose rock she passed. It teetered for a heartbeat, before tumbling down the mountainside. Moon had to veer to the side to avoid it crushing her. She saw the SandWing about to turn a corner - a corner which Moon might be able to cut by flying over the low-rocks above. It was a risk, but Moon had no time to second-guess herself. She sailed over the rocks and came downward just as her prey had turned the corner as she'd predicted.

They collided quickly, Moon highly aware of the SandWing's dangerous tail. But in the short scuffle, her claws had managed to slice at the old leather satchel, and it came away in her claws. Moon hurried back several feet. The thief stared at her satchel in Moon's claws and let loose a terrible screech of fury. She dove for Moon, claws and teeth bared. The NightWing yelped and tried to dodge out of her way.

"Please - stop!" she tried, narrowly avoiding a second swipe. "You need to listen!"

"Giv' it back!" the SandWing raved like she was mad, foam flying from her mouth. She changed direction mid-dive, catching Moon by surprise and leaving her unable to escape the claws that came for her throat -

A tree trunk hurtled past Moon and hit the thief with what surely had been bone-shattering force! The SandWing went down, a ledge on the mountain catching her before she could plummet to her death. She lay dazed, one arm bent at the opposite angle it should sit.

"Moon!"

She turned, and saw Darkstalker winging his way towards her. His blue eyes were alight with worry, but his mind was still closed off to her and his spine was still tense.

"Are you alright?" he asked, looking her over.

"I'm fine," she replied automatically, feeling a little numb. "I got the bag."

"Good. That's-"

A whimper. They both looked as the SandWing flew away as best as she was able. Her mind was filled with pain and fear. Moon went to go after her. "She's hurt!"

"You get back to the Castle," Darkstalker ordered, pushing her behind him. "I'll catch the thief."

Was that wise, Moon wondered, considering the anger she could still see visible in his frame? But before she could think better of it, he was already soaring away. Hovering in the air, Moon stared dumbly after them, unsure of what to do. Darkstalker was in pursuit but… what would happen next?

There was little else for her to do, she slowly realised. She couldn't help catch the thief as they were both too far ahead now and she did not know the ways of these mountains. _Yet_. With little else available to her, she did as she was told and returned to the castle of stars. On the flight back, she inspected the satchel of treasure. Mostly it was odd objects that had either a glimmer of gold to them or a pretty jewel. One or two had neither and instead were small pots with intricate paintings. They all looked expensive. The thief knew what she was looking for, it seemed. All of these would sell for good money on a market.

She decided to wait in the entrance hall of the castle, so that she might see Darkstalker as soon as he returned. She placed the satchel on the ground, propped against a stone column. It felt wrong to hold it. The objects inside felt foreign, unknown, an intrusion. That was something to pick apart later, when she felt less agitated. An hour ticked by. She paced, her mind and wings twitching anxiously.

Finally, she felt the brush of another mind, Darkstalker's! She threw open the doors for him, eyes scanning the stars until she found him, just a slight shade lighter than the pitch black of the night. He landed a little heavily, his expression tight, his eyes tired.

"Are you alright?" Moon asked quickly as soon as he stepped inside. "What happened? Where's the thief."

"Gone," he grumbled, frustrated. "The conniving snake used the mountains against me."

Moon didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved. It meant that there must be land beyond the northern border. And that there was a way, however unlikely, through the magic of the mountains.

"What was she even doing here?" she heard him ask.

"I'm not entirely sure." She gestured towards the discarded satchel. "But it seems she was picking through the skeleton of this place to find anything of value."

Darkstalker got very quiet, his silver-blue eyes narrowing. He swiveled his head to look through the great doors that would lead to the throne room. His claws twitched violently. "You once told me the SandWings are considered the richest tribe, yes?"

"Yes," Moon nodded, unsure of where this line of questioning was going. "Part of the reason for the SandWing civil war was because Blister stole the majority of the SandWing treasure."

"In my time, the SandWings were one of the poorest." He flung open his wings and let loose a beastly roar. "Thieves! All of them! Our tribe left and they couldn't wait to plunder what was rightfully ours!"

"Darkstalker!" Moon tried to get his attention, a little alarmed at his passionate temper. She leapt forward and put her talon over his. Instantly, he froze, shocked. "Please don't be angry. There's nothing we can do about that. Let's not make enemies based on what we perceive others to have done wrong. When the war is over, we'll do our best to get back our heritage."

He took a deep breath, and slowly released it through his nose. He patted the back of her knuckles with his other talon. "You're right, of course. I'm sorry this night hasn't turned out the way either of us had hoped."

She was relieved that he'd calmed, and so chose to further put the situation at ease by making light of it all. "Look at it this way: at least we know you've still got it."

"Still got it?" he quirked a brow at her.

With the claw of her wing, she poked his ribs. "We're lucky these old bones are still holding together. You should take better care of yourself for someone of your age…"

Darkstalker threw his head back and laughed, the rich, merry sound she was coming to adore. "Oh! That's does it - your dinner is getting chargrilled!"

* * *

It was on that following morning that the correspondences that the Dragons of Destiny had sent out all finally reached all of the queens. The messengers had flown as swiftly as they were able whilst also keeping out of sight. After passing their message to soldiers that had already proven to be trustworthy to the Rebellion, those soldiers then took the messages to their superiors who in turn presented it to their Queen. Each one read the message of the attack, of the mysterious NightWing animus that had suddenly appeared. Each one responded differently and undesirably.

Upon seeing the words laid out before her, Queen Glacier had not at first not believed it to be true. But the more she read and reread it, the more her panic began to take over. The stories of the Darkstalker, the history of what had happened to Prince Arctic in the forgotten Kingdom of Night, it was as real to her tribe as the ice and snow upon which they stood. The Queen of the frozen north immediately realised the reality of the threat she now faced, and so chose to act with all haste.

"Generals!" she bellowed, her voice echoing off the thick, glittering icy walls of her palace. Servants sent word of her urgency and they came running. She waited until all her generals, advisors and commanders were present. "Pull back our forces! All our soldiers are to retreat immediately! I want every IceWing behind the great ice wall!"

"B-But, your Majesty!" one of them dared to stutter. "All of the land we have secured - Blister will take it!"

"And what of Princess Blaze?" asked her brother, Narwhal. "Her fortress is south of the wall."

"We shall hide her away. I will personally see to that." Glacier said rather cryptically. "And I do not care about the lands right now! I want every IceWing protected behind our wall. It is our only defence!"

She threw the letter down in front of them. Upon reading it, her advisors all jumped to do her bidding.

Far to the east, and deep beneath the sea, Queen Coral looked over the letter that had been presented to her - it was even the kind of parchment that didn't deteriorate underwater, and the ink that wasn't washed away. It made her heart ache to miss her eldest daughter. Tsunami was so far away, but she still remembered the things she'd been taught in her brief time home. Coral could not understand why her daughter stayed away, especially when Coral wanted her home so badly. She still felt ashamed at how they had parted, and wanted to make amends. Auklet and Anemone asked about their big sister every other day.

The contents of the letter itself made no difference to her. She didn't know if she fully believed all of the claims in the letter, it seemed all a bit too fantastical, even by her standards. Yet even so, she knew that a NightWing animus was an unknown in this equation, one that she would need to watch out for. For now, she was content to wait and see what happened next.

However, unbeknownst to the Queen of the Sea, her daughter, Anemone, caught sight of the letter and allowed her imagination to run wild. The idea of another animus being out there in the world somewhere fascinated her. For most of her life, she'd thought she was the only animus in all the world. It made her feel special, of course, but at the same time, her powers scared her on occasion, and she wanted someone to teach her, reassure her.

"Can I meet this Darkstalker, mother?" Anemone asked as sweetly as she could. "Oh please, please! We might learn so much from him -"

"Not yet, darling," said Coral. "You should practice your own lessons first."

But the young princess would not let it go that easily.

And as for Queen Moorhen and Queen Ruby, they both were skeptical of such claims, and in Ruby's case, had more pressing concerns on that particular day. But Moorhen sat and stewed over the letter, tapping her claws on the arm of her throne. She had been a supporter of the Dragons of Destiny since Burn's death. She'd had nowhere else to turn to, really.

But now, as the standoff between the allied forces and Blister and her NightWings dragged on with no payoff in sight, the MudWing queen grew frustrated. She was beginning to doubt that the Dragons of Destiny had MudWing interests at heart, more concerned were they with appeasing the IceWings. That was fine with her. If they wouldn't take care of her tribe, then she would. Prophecy be damned.

She looked over her wartable, at the coastline that separated her kingdom from the sea. For all she'd done, all she'd been promised, her tribe was owed those lands. The letter she'd received had more than likely also had copies that went to the other queens. Even if none of them believed it, they would still have their attentions elsewhere. The chaos was worth capitalising on.

Moorhen decided it was time to push prophecy aside, and take back what she was owed.

* * *

Whispers zipping in his ear awoke Winter at dawn. He could hear the voice coming from the cave across from his own. It was Qibli. Who was he talking to at such a dreadful hour?

Winter had to remind himself that he shouldn't care. Qibli had made sure to let him know that he still wasn't happy with him when they'd turned in for the night yesterday. Not that Winter could blame him. As he'd admitted to Perill, he had behaved rather poorly.

A second voice joined Qibli's whispered conversation. With a jolt, Winter recognised it as Moon's voice. Had Qibli decided to contact her, without the rest of them? He immediately surged upwards, outraged at his duplicitousness. How dare he!

The IceWing prince charged out of his cave and across the hallway. Qibli had taken up his cave close by Winter's when he'd moved into Jade Mountain - probably to ensure he was always around to annoy him. But as he came to the threshold of Qibli's cave, he heard Moon's voice, and stopped. Quickly, he ducked to the side of the cave entrance, out of sight.

" _Is Winter still angry with me?"_ she asked in a small voice. Winter felt his insides shrivel up like a defrosting corpse quickly festering. He knew he wasn't wrong about Darkstalker, but he now regretted his outburst yesterday.

"You know Winter," Qibli used his usual jovial tone that made it sound like everything he said was a joke. "Brooding and moody is his default personality."

" _Qibli…"_ Moon sounded like she wanted to scold but was too amused to do so. The stirrings of a bitter, hot emotion pierced Winter's brain to hear Qibli be the one to make her sound so carefree so easily.

"No, I don't think so," Qibli said at last. "No one can stay mad at you. Least of all Winter. But… he is worried about you, you know. We all are."

" _I know."_ she said quietly. " _But I promise, I'm fine."_

"For now. But what's the plan to get you out of there, Moon?"

" _Right now… there isn't one."_ Before either Winter or Qibli could interrupt her, she quickly went ahead. " _Listen, I have a plan - or the beginnings of one. I'm learning about Darkstalker, a little bit every day. I want to learn what really happened two thousand years ago. If I do that, then maybe I can use it to help Darkstalker. Make him into a better dragon, one that could help us."_

"I doubt that will work," the words left Winter's lips as he poked his head around the cave entrance to stare into Qibli's chambers. The SandWing lay upon a camel-hair rug on the floor, holding the seashell in his talons. He swivelled his head to stare at Winter, wide eyed. Neither of them spoke for a while.

" _Qibli?"_ Moon asked when the silence went on for too long. " _Is something wrong?"_

Cupping one talon over the seashell as if to muffle any noise, Qibli then asked Winter in a soft voice. "Do you want to talk to her?"

Winter was awfully tempted. But, with a weary sigh, he shook his head. "You finish. Lift her spirits before she sleeps today. I have to… go and talk to my sister."

It was the first excuse he could think of, but one that once he said it, he recognised that it was a duty he had been neglecting to see to. Tsunami and the other Dragons of Destiny had locked up his sister somewhere in the mountain and had done their own interrogations. Yet after everything that had happened, he needed to talk to her himself.

Leaving Qibli and the magical tether that anchored them to Moon, Winter set off down the corridors. He didn't really pay much mind to where he was going except downwards. All he knew from pieces of information he'd gleamed in conversations with Tsunami, Icicle was somewhere in the lower regions of the mountain. Not paying much attention to his surroundings, he almost didn't see the smaller male SeaWing until he almost trod on him.

"Oh," said Winter, awkwardly. "Um, hello… Turtle."

Turtle swept his tail to the side, as if to be sure Winter wouldn't step on it. "Hey. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm just… going to see my sister."

The SeaWing tilted his head, soft brown eyes studying Winter deeply. But… not in the 'checking-for-weakness' way he was used to, especially other IceWings. Instead, Turtle's gaze was almost a 'let-me-see-what's-wrong' kind of look. And then, he surprised Winter when he said softly: "Do you want me to come with you? I promise not to be as outspoken as the others."

At first, Winter was unsure of what he meant. But then, all at once, it hit him. He didn't want to go down to Icicle alone - he knew that was the brave thing to do, the option that showed him us strong. But to do so felt like he was going into battle unarmed and with his snout chained shut. He wanted someone else there. But if he brought someone like Peril or Kinkajou, they would be too intrusive and he'd never get anywhere. And Qibli would just ask too many questions and get into pointless details that only revealed how cleverer he was than everyone else. But Turtle… He was quiet and observant, he'd be able to notice everything and would be there for support and yet would never think to intrude on Winter's business.

And perhaps, also, Winter recognised that out of all his friends, Turtle was perhaps the one who could relate to him the most when it came to horrible families. He didn't know the particulars of Turtle's home-life, surely his family didn't degrade him or demand perfection. But they hurt him in other ways, like ignoring his very existence. Winter nodded, and they set out.

Turns out, it was the right choice. Tsunami had talked to Turtle about where the dungeons were, and so Turtle took the lead and Winter obediently followed. As he'd suspected, they travelled further and further down the mountain towards the ground level. They turned down a steep and narrow tunnel that came out into a small cave lit by torches on four walls. In the centre lay Icicle.

Winter didn't know what he'd expected. After learning everything that his sister had done, his mind had exaggerated her in the past few days, twisted her into a monster he barely recognised as the ramifications of her deeds unfurled. But now, as he looked upon her, he felt more horrified to recognise his perfect sister rather than a monster.

The mountain had not had the luxury of housing prisoners before, Icicle was their first. So, Winter was guessing that the Dragons of Destiny had to improvise. Her cell was little more than a wooden cage constructed in the middle of the cave so she wouldn't be able to hide anything. It was barely big enough for her to lay comfortably. Her ankles were shackled to the floor, at least. And it appeared as if the blacksmith had had to crudely replicate the iron muzzle used in the SkyWing prisons, for one was clamped around Icicle's snout to prevent her using her frostbreath. Winter briefly wondered if Peril had helped to make it.

As soon as he and Turtle entered, Icicle's eyes snapped open. For a long moment, she glared at him through the wooden bars, silently seething. Slowly, she sat, though the cage didn't allow her to move much, and she ended up hunched over. Squaring his shoulders, holding his wings in the correct position, Winter prowled into the dungeon and began to circle her cage. Turtle scuttled in after, and put himself against one wall, silent and observing, like he'd promised.

"Ahh. So you've finally come to visit me, brother." Icicle's hissing voice was muffled slightly through her muzzle. Her scales were dirtied and scratched, far from the pristine and perfect princess she'd always been. "I'd begun to wonder when you'd show your traitorous hide."

"You're the traitor here," he retorted quickly, coming to a stop in front of her. "You'll be lucky to be in any of the circles once Queen Glacier hears of what you've done. That is, if she doesn't leave you at the mercy of your hosts."

"Do you want to see me quake in my cell? Beg for my life? Like you did for the SkyWings?" She wrapped her talons around her bars, watching avidly for any indication that that barb had stung. It had, and Winter did his best not flinch. "The SeaWing and the RainWing queen I might rouse myself to feel the slightest bit intimidated. But the weakness of the others infects and restrains them. I fear nothing in here, so don't think intimidation will work on me."

"Then listen to sense, Icicle," he pleaded. A part of him had to believe his reasonable (if proud) sister was still in there. "You worked for Scarlet against our allies. Why? What could possibly drive you to do such a thing."

"To do what you were too weak to! Save our brother."

"So, helping Morrowseer take down the Dragons of Destiny, thereby also helping him to defeat our tribe - Hailstorm would approve of that?"

"You would rather he rot in some cell?!" she screeched indignantly. "Where is your pride?! He deserves better than the fate you lumped him with."

"I didn't mean for that!" Winter finally exploded. His voice rang around the cave, the flames of the torches flickering. Years upon years of those words being lumped on his shoulders and swallowing down the desperate denial finally burst. His eyes burned with tears at his sister. "You don't think I live with that guilt every single day? Knowing that it was my fault he was taken? I hear his voice every night, bargaining for my release with his own life. Sometimes it is all that haunts my mind. And the likes of you and mother and father have never let me forget it no matter how hard I try to do Hailstorm proud."

"You would've made him proud by dying a warrior's death and let him come home instead!"

Had she literally stabbed him in the chest, her words could not have hurt more. A lump in his throat threatened to choke him. "Is that really what you wish? That it had been me instead of him?"

Icicle didn't respond right away, but her eyes said everything. For a moment, his wings drooped, and he wanted the earth to swallow him up. He'd tried so hard… he'd fought and he'd led troops through this horrible war. He'd been a good commander - he'd even earned the respect of his Queen. And still… it meant nothing to his family.

"If Winter had fought the SkyWings," Turtle's voice cut through the room, making the IceWings startle. They'd completely forgotten he was there. But the SeaWing's eyes were filled with a quiet, furious passion. "It's likely that both he and Hailstorm would've died. Then you'd have no brothers at all."

Refusing to show any vulnerability in front of outsiders, Icicle put her muzzled nose in the air. "At least they would've died with honour."

A pause. And then, Winter said quietly: "Honour…?"

He leapt for the cage. He reached through the bars and clamped his talons around his sister's muzzle. With a wrench, he pulled her forward until her face was almost smashed into the wooden cell. Icicle's eyes widened with brief fear. The chains on her ankles held her back, stretching out her body so that her front legs had to work to hold her weight, and she couldn't scratch and claw at him. Winter's pressed his head against the bars, baring his teeth in her face, the hint of frost at the back of his throat.

"You think you have any right to talk to me about _honour_?!" he demanded furiously. "You, who served the snake that murdered our brother?!"

Regaining her composure, Icicle tried to shake him off. "Hailstorm isn't dead! He's being kept-"

"It was a _lie_ , Icicle!" Winter roared crashing one fist against her cage. Icicle went still. "Scarlet didn't have Hailstorm, he was kept in her arena prison and escaped when the Dragons of Destiny caused her downfall."

"No…" she murmured. "No, that's not possible. He would've come home to us!"

Again, Winter felt like he was being choked. He released his sister and backed up. "He died."

"Liar!"

"While you were in here, I faced Scarlet when she and her allies tried to storm the mountain. She told me herself, gleeful at my pain. Our brother died trying to come home years ago." He couldn't tell her the full extent of Hailstorm's fate. It was too awful, and she likely wouldn't believe him. "She lied to you, Icicle. She used your love of Hailstorm to get you to do her bidding."

"But she told me… she told me she would show me where to find him!"

"Yes. Find his bones."

And then, Icicle let loose a piercing cry as she crumpled to the ground. Winter screwed his eyes closed, wishing he could tune out the sound. He and his sister shared a moment to grieve for their brother. It was strange, that Winter realised that only now had he properly acknowledged what had been revealed to him. The sadness swallowed him up, like fresh blood from an old wound now reopened.

He knelt by his sister, and tentatively dared to reach through the cage to take her talons in his. "Help me, Icicle. Help me stop her and avenge our brother. Tell me what Scarlet said to you. Did she ever reveal anything about her plans to you? Any hint at the plan for what the NightWings and SandWings will do next?"

Slowly, she looked up, eyes meeting his. There was a moment where she looked like she would finally open up to him. But then she pulled her talons from his, and curled up into a ball. "An IceWing must be thorough in their conviction. Once you're set on a course, never let anything dissuade you from it."

Words that their father had drilled into them numerous times as a dragonet. They came from a hollow throat and lingered in Winter's ears like a poisonous fume. It was in that moment that he knew his sister was truly lost to him. She would rather recite the principles that had awarded her First Circle and stick to them rather than follow sense and cooperate with him, thereby dooming herself. Winter stared at his talons, feeling helpless.

A soft touch on his shoulder. He looked over, numb. It was Turtle. The SeaWing gently led him across the room, and they kept their backs to Icicle. "Don't listen to her." he said. And then, wringing his talons worriedly, he quietly offered: "You probably don't want it but… I could _do something_ to her chains to make her tell the truth?"

It took him a moment to realise what Turtle had said, and then a moment longer to ponder such an offer.

At last, he shook his head. "No. My sister is cunning. Last time she was distracted or otherwise didn't see you. But now she'll figure it out quickly - that's not a secret I want _her_ to have. And besides, I don't want to take away her free will."

Icicle would likely not give up anything to them. He could either carry on this interrogation, or leave his sister to her fate.

"THERE you two are!"

Turtle and Winter both leapt with a yell. Kinkajou appeared out of thin air right in front of them. Her expression was something between a pout and a scowl. "I have been looking everywhere for you both! And that's quite the feat, let me tell you. Do you have any idea how HUGE a mountain is? Come on, you're both needed!"

Without any sort of explanation, she marched back up the tunnel, not even sparing Icicle a glance. Turtle and Winter exchanged a baffled glance. Shrugging, Turtle hurried to follow the RainWing. If Kinkajou had gone to such lengths to find them as she claimed, it must be because of something important. Winter made to follow-

"Taking orders from lesser dragons, Winter?" Icicle's voice called after him. He stopped. "Can you even call yourself an IceWing anymore?"

"Kinkajou has value," he snapped coldly, barely turning his head to look back at her. "Which is more than I can say for the one who obeyed my brother's murderer. And still failed. What value do you have now, Icicle, to anyone?"

He didn't stay to hear his sister's indignant fury. He wanted to dive into the lake to wash off this entire ordeal. For now, he followed Kinkajou back up several levels. Until she brought him to a cave filled with other dragons. Namely, the rest of their Jade Winglet.

"What's going on?" Winter asked.

"We don't know!" Peril said. "Kinkajou said you guys had an emergency!"

Turtle frowned. "What, we didn't…"

Winter turned a glare on the devious little RainWing. "Kinkajou…"

"I brought you all together so that you can apologise." She sat in the centre, head held high and her scales trying to do their best impression of Glory. "We had our spat, and now it's time to make up so we can go back to all being best friends."

"What?!" Winter cried. "I'm not going to-"

The RainWing launched herself at him, and suddenly her snout was inches from his, her talon jabbing into his chest. "Oh yes you will, you big, doofy, muscled mass of sparkles and scowls!" Before he could make any sense of the words she'd just spat at him, she was gone again. "Like it or not, we all only have each other. In the rainforest… I was a nuisance. When the NightWings took me nobody even noticed I was gone - except for Moon. Then the NightWings did horrible things… and then they took my home."

They were all silent. It was easy to forget how much Kinkajou had been through. She was so energetic and bubbling with positivity all the rest of the time, that one tended to forget or not notice how these things affected her so.

"But you know what?" she smiled brightly. "When we're all together, I almost don't care about any of it! You guys make me feel like I'm a… a… a non-nuisance!"

"Kinkajou?" Turtle coughed gently. "That's not a word."

"Well it should be because that's what I feel." She stared at each of them individually. The smallest of the group stared every one of them down. "Okay, so, this is really corny, but you guys have to realise that we're stronger together. And it's up to us to figure out how to help Moony - in whatever way we can. Because we're the only ones that can do this! We took on Morrowsneer and Blizzbut and ruined-face!"

"You mean Morrowseer, Blister and Scarlet?" Peril frowned. "You do remember you received brain damage in that fight?"

"Yeah, and I'm up for more! If we can take on them by ourselves, we can do anything!"

"She's right." Qibli said. "Moon has a plan. And if she's successful in it, then good for her. But until then, we need to be the heroes now."

"From monster to hero…" A smile crept across Peril's snout. "I like the sound of that."

Turtle snorted in amusement, but stared at Kinkajou like she was the sun and all three moons rolled into one. "I'll help so long as all of you keep the spotlight."

Winter glanced at Qibli. The SandWing seemed to be waiting for something. With a long sigh, Winter finally admitted defeat. "I'm sorry, for the way I acted. I was… a cactus-brain."

Qibli's jaw fell open. "You just said the words… I have ascended to a higher plain!" And then he was throwing his warm wings around Winter's shoulders and jumping up and down. Winter fought the urge to push him off. "And I'm sorry too. Not exactly sure what for, because you _were_ being a cactus brain. But I'm sorry, all the same."

And with that, they all banded together as one. Readying themselves for anything.


	24. Fallen to Earth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to everyone for all the great comments I've been getting recently! You guys make my day!

“Come on, Moon, concentrate!” Darkstalker’s voice encouraged her eagerly. “You almost had it that time.” 

Her brow furrowed, talons digging into the soft earth underneath her. Distantly, the sounds of crashing waves sweeping in and out along the shore drifted to her ears. They’d come to the eastern edge of the city tonight, the sharp canyons giving way to rolling hills down to the ocean. Darkstalker had brought her here, brimming with excitement which had soon become infectious once Moon knew where they were going. She’d never seen the sea before! They’d played in the salty spray, delighting in the cold splash of the waves against their scales. It had been a fantastic start to their evening. And when they’d had their fill, they’d retreated off the sand to the hills to begin their lessons. They were focusing on how to mentally defend herself tonight, working on the shortcomings they’d noticed before and building them up. Darkstalker insisted that though her raindrop trick was good, having a repetitive sound to help her concentrate on keeping him out would help immensely. Hence, sitting by the ocean. 

However, even recognizing the sound of the ocean made her think of the fun they’d had just an hour before. And that in turn lost her concentration. 

**_Perhaps I should have given you the reward after you’d completed your lesson,_ ** Darkstalker grumbled inside her head, proving that she’d failed. 

Moon opened her eyes, sighing sadly.  _ Or perhaps,  _ she thought at him just for the reassuring feeling of her mind against his,  _ I’m just not very good at this.  _

He snorted. “Nonsense! Of the two of us, I do believe I know what I’m talking about when I say you have potential.” He briefly brushed his wing against hers, smiling for her. “Now give it another try. Concentrate on your anchor - something you know well enough that gives you a feeling of security and safety. Transform it into walls of solid stone in your mind, merge it with the sound of the sea that will wash away any invader.”

Closing her eyes once again, Moon fought back a smile at his theatrics. She wondered if Darkstalker would’ve been an actor in another life. He certainly had a flair for dramatics and an absurd ego to do so. 

**_I heard that._ **

_ You were meant to.  _

Giving in, she willed herself to concentrate on the lesson. That ball of anxiety weighed heavy in her stomach, threatening to grow again like last time if she failed this lesson as well. Her attempt at humour and distraction was how she was deciding to cope to better ignore it. But now, she could put it off no longer, and so did her best to think of her anchor, letting the waves wash through her mind, adding to her usual raindrops. She also thought on Darkstalker’s words, he’d not explained her anchor in those terms before. It made her wonder.

Something that made her feel safe and secure. Abruptly, her anchor that had been her scroll of  _ ‘Prince of the Sun’,  _ changed and she thought of music. Specifically, the music that she could always hear rolling through Darkstalker’s mind, a tune that was now familiar to her, even if she didn’t know its name. She tried to replicate it as best she could. She remembered the time when she’d briefly thought to go after Scarlet and he’d stopped her and they’d stayed up through the night just staying in a bubble of their minds and that music. The circumstances had not been particularly life threatening but it gave her a sense of peace all the same. And she realised that whenever she’d felt frightened or unsure, that music had always come to her until she felt better. 

“Moon?” a talon shook her shoulder. She opened her eyes, confused. 

Darkstalker had a certain pensive expression on his face, though he tried to hide it with a smile. “You did it.”

She blinked. “I did?”

“Briefly, I’ll admit. But you still did it.” 

Moon felt as if her wings were full of air and she was being pulled up into the sky. She grinned and stood slowly so that she wouldn’t jump around like a silly adolescent. But it did nothing to stop her  _ feeling  _ it. Her joy seemed enough to wipe away whatever was bothering Darkstalker, and his smile turned more genuine. “Keep this up,” he said, “and you’ll soon be a true NightWing.”

“Hardly,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “I didn’t grow up on the volcano, so I think no matter what I do I will not be enough of a NightWing for them.”

“Do  _ those  _ NightWings know the moons like you do? Can they hear the whispers of what makes a dragon who they are? Do they hear the tongues of those in the Beyond speak to them in prophecy?”

Moon tried to hide her giggles behind her wing. “No, I guess not." Then she asked, "Why do we hear voices when a prophecy comes over us? It's spooky, like someone else has taken over my mouth to say things."

"In a way, that's true." Darkstalker picked up a stone and flung it out into the sea, watching it arc gracefully through the air before it made its final plunge. "NightWings used to believe that when we died, our souls became one with the Beyond, a place where all time was one. What was, what is, and what could be, we all became a part of it. So when you see into future, when you hear those voices marching through your brain and words come out, those are the ones from the Beyond, giving warnings to those here in the realm of the living."

Moon didn't know whether to find some comfort in that or to be creeped out. The thought of ghosts roaming around her head wasn't exactly pleasant. 

"NightWings have always been intrinsically linked to the fabric of fate," he went on. "That's why we believe that those with grander destinies still left to be told come back from the Beyond, to be born again. To live the life destiny meant for them."

"I don't remember father telling me any stories like that. It sounds rather… fantastical."

"The NightWings have no time for culture?"

"They’re too busy with lessons on how to look like you’re reading someone’s mind, and how to rhyme properly to make up a prophecy.” 

Darkstalker’s jaw hung open, “You’re joking?”

“No, my father told me himself - that’s what  _ real  _ NightWings have to do to convince everyone else to fear them.” It had been one of the rare moments that her father had told her anything about life on the island that didn’t involve trying to scare her with the idea of it.

“Sometimes I wonder what drove our tribe to this, I truly do.” He chuckled to himself. “Imagine if they’d been asked to make a prophecy on the fly, and they had to find a rhyme for a word like  _ depth  _ or  _ ninth _ .” 

“I suppose that’s the curriculum these days.” She thought for a moment. “What was it like back then? I imagine your upbringing was so much different.”

Darkstalker huffed a small laugh, but the amusement was gone from his eyes. “Yes, Moon. My upbringing was unlike anyones, I imagine. Yet strangely close to your own.”

That statement at the end, said so quietly she almost didn’t hear, made her frown. What did that mean? Instead, she laid back down in the cool grass and offered him her talon. “Show me?”

The moments in which he hesitated was getting shorter. Now, he laid down opposite her, stretching out his large wings, the exaggerated claws digging into the earth easily. He took her talon in his and closed his eyes. Moon mirrored him as she felt him pull their two minds into one. 

_ They remembered their first day at school, only a few months before Fathom came into their lives. Mother had argued tirelessly with Commander Prudence to allow both her dragonets to attend school, saying that it would benefit them in the long run. It had taken weeks to get her approval. But it was only on the condition that they excel, and so they were determined to do so, to not let Mother down.  _

_ Upon arriving, they’d been taken to a set of classrooms and were given a specific set of instructions. Males had sat at the back of the classroom, and they’d been asked to stay late after class in order to attend private tutelage. All the while they had worried over Whiteout, lost somewhere else in the school. Their tutors had decreed that Whiteout was mentally deficient and so should be put into a class a year younger to be sure she wasn’t overwhelmed. But they had to be put a year higher, to prove that they were intelligent enough to meet their expectations.  _

_ And yet despite all that their mind had been flooded with knowledge. All the possibilities, the reach of their potential. Every new thing they learned became a new jewel within the treasury of their mind. _

_ As soon as class had ended, they’d left to try and find Whiteout. Their visions told them that if they didn’t reach her soon, bad things would happen. As it was, they arrived as dragonets from their own age-group were picking on her. Whiteout couldn’t understand why they disliked her, or the names they called her, but she did know that they were a threat. Her mind called out to theirs.  _

_ A deep feeling of anger made their stomach burn. No one could do that to Whiteout - they wouldn’t let them! They wanted to leap onto the bullies and fight them off, or cast a spell that would immediately deal with the situation. But both of those options would only cause further trouble. So instead, they marched between the dragons to stand beside their sister, putting a wing over her back and pulling in close.  _

_ “That’s enough,” they’d said. _

_ The head bully was female, and squared her shoulders as she tried to assert her dominance physically over him. “Another hybrid? I don’t know what the school board is thinking - the pair of you can barely be considered members of the tribe. My mother says so.” _

_ “Really…” they kept their temper, instead allowing themselves a broad smile that everyone would see. “Your mother also told you that Whiteout is much prettier than you. Which I fully agree with. And she is right - your snout is far too short.” _

_ The other dragonets around them all began to either mutter under their breath or snicker behind their wings. Outrage blasted through the bully’s mind. “Why you nosy-son of a traitor-freak!” _

_ They’d wanted so badly to claw at her face for that. But Whiteout was trembling bad enough - she always hated shouting. And besides, a teacher was coming to break up the fight. Of course they were punished later that night for daring to show such disrespect. And of course, straight after school they were sent along to the  _ **_facility_ ** _ for further training.  _

The memories did their usual weird shift. Moon steeled herself and went along with it.

_ Magic flowed through their bones as they summoned it into being, making a spear float. A year and a half had elapsed since the last memory. They could feel eyes on their back, and attempted to keep perfect posture as they went about the tedious task. Fathom and Clearsight were waiting for them. But they would not be allowed to leave until they met the expectations of their Keepers.  _

_ “All the power in the world,” said one of their tutors. “And it is wasted on this? A hybrid cannot be trusted, they belong to neither tribe. Shouldn’t even exist.” _

_ The other one sighed. “If the female had held even a shred of his power we wouldn’t have needed to bother. But at least the queen can salvage something from this situation.”  _

_ Hurt twisted their stomach, though they tried to tell themselves to be cold and distant. The Keepers wanted to get a rise out of them, wanted to see them squirm.  _

_ “That’s enough,” called the nastiest tutor. “Now to the ring. We’re going to work on your block and retaliation.” _

_ “But I have things to do!” they blurted. This was past the usual time they were kept back. Their friends would think they’d deserted on their plans.  _

_ However, the words were the very worst thing to say. The tutor turned seething black eyes on them, teeth bared. “Who do you think you’re talking to?!” _

_ They were angry - they’d had to listen to non-stop insults for two hours and now they were being kept back beyond the usual time they had to endure this waking hell. That fire emboldened them to stand up to the Keeper. “I am usually released at this time. I am tired and I want -” _

_ SMACK.  _

_ The blow made their jaw feel like it was on fire! Their head smacked to the side and their ears rang. They fell to the floor, sand churning up in their face. They blinked slowly, realising what happened. Hate and spite radiated out of the mind of their Keeper, not even bothering to shield their own thoughts so that such nastiness could assault them mentally over and over. When they looked up, they saw the Keeper towering over them, a rod in their talon. Instinctively, they wanted to cower away, a phantom pain rippling across their back.  _

_ But they weren’t a hatchling anymore. They might not be full grown, but they wouldn’t allow themselves to be walked all over any more. Defiantly, they stood, staring down their oppressor. Magic hummed through their entire body, an extension of their very being, wanting to lash out and correct this blight upon the world - _

_ “Enough!”  _

_ Everyone turned. It was mother! Oh, how they wanted to smile at her. How much they wanted her just to  _ **_look_ ** _ at them, show concern and fury at how someone had dared to harm her dragonet. Act like any normal mother. But she wouldn’t, and her love was closed tightly behind the door in her mind.  _

_ Mother glared at the Keeper. “I’ll take over from here. He’ll learn better under my watch.”  _

_ “You’ll go soft on him,” spat the Keeper. “We do not need weakness in him-” _

_ “You forget yourself, Shadeturner.” Mother growled, standing to her full, impressive height. “Despite the circumstances of your birth, you were allowed into this programme through the good grace of your betters. Including me. You are not to give me orders, lowborn.” _

_ The Keeper ducked her head, fury and shame and hate pouring out of her head. They were thankful that mother couldn’t sense such vileness. Lowborns were never to surpass the upperclass, in authority or accomplishment. Though they were treated poorly because they were both male and a hybrid, a lowborn was lower on the pecking order than that.  _

_ Both Keepers slunk away, leaving them alone with mother. They beamed at her, thankful for her rescue.  _

_ “You know you shouldn’t antagonise them,” said Mother. “Do as you’re told, Darkstalker. It will make things easier.” _

_ “Even when they are positively vile beings who don’t have a clue about what they’re talking about?” they snapped irritably.  _

_ Mother’s eyes darted to the walls. “Watch your tongue, dragonet.” _

_ “Yes, commander.” They said through gritted teeth. Others might be listening to them, familiar bonds were something they could not afford, no matter how much they might wish it so desperately.  _

_ Mother relaxed and paced the room to stand opposite them. “Now come, from this day on, I shall be teaching you to fight.” _

_ That caught their interest. Mother was usually too busy with other duties to be part of the programme personally. “Really?” _

_ “Yes. Now come, show me what you’ve got and we’ll work from there.” _

_ And mother did teach them. She felt responsible for their fate and thought that by teaching them personally, she might be able to make this ordeal easier. And oh, how it felt good - this was something they could share, something for them alone. Where mother could never show her love in public, she let it seep into her touch, in the way their bodies clashed against each other in brutal combat, in how she corrected their stance or technique. Her love promised the world, that sooner or later, the torment would end, and then it would all be worth something! That love emboldened them, made them strive with the confidence to know that what they were doing was right - so long as the end result justified it all.  _

That memory came to an end, and another soon took its place.

_ The moons shone weakly upon the waves that whispered against the sand. The cliffs were filled with shadows, and the two houses carved into the stone looked more like the tombs of childhood dreams. They put their hands upon the house trying to feel something other than claustrophobia at the sight of the small stone place. Where was the excitement, the happiness they used to feel when they imagined the future here?  _

_ “Darkstalker?” Clearsight’s voice was right behind them. A soothing feeling swept over their scales. They turned around and pulled her into their embrace. “You’re back from the front! Why didn’t you come to see me? Or Fathom?”  _

_ “I… had a lot on my mind. I was going to come to you both later.” That wasn’t a lie. The battles had been going better than even they had expected, and their commander had granted them two weeks off to recuperate. Or at least, they had convinced them to do that. “Besides, I don’t think Fathom’s  _ **_guest_ ** _ would appreciate my presence.” _

_ Clearsight frowned. “You really need to let go of this grudge, Darkstalker. Fathom loves Indigo, you should be happy for him.” _

_ “Happy that he’s going to run off with that harpy?” they snorted. “Riiiight...” _

_ They thought back on that night only a few months ago that had made them feel so happy. Giving out the Dreamvisitors and the Soulreader. It had been such a wonderful night. But they hadn’t even noticed the SeaWing scouts that had spotted them, who had then reported back to Queen Pearl, Fathom’s sister and one of the few survivors of the SeaWing massacre. Everyone in the Kingdom of the Sea had assumed Fathom had died that night, as Albatross had said repeatedly how he wanted to obliterate Fathom from the face of Pyrrhia. So when scouts had reported he was alive, Pearl had wanted her brother returned to her immediately.  _

_ When these requests had reached Queen Vigilance, they had  _ **_persuaded_ ** _ the Queen against returning Fathom. Those fools did not know him, and they certainly didn’t care about him if it took them this long to find him - and even then by chance! So when Fathom had not gone back to the sea, Queen Pearl had sent her most trusted advisor and warrior to retrieve him: Indigo. She and Fathom had known each other when they were hatchlings and Fathom had always loved her, even in the years he’d stayed with the NightWings. So upon seeing her again, he had fawned all over her.  _

_ Unfortunately, they hadn’t much appreciated Indigo trying to worm her way into Fathom’s life, and Indigo had made it clear that she distrusted and despised them equally. She was always telling Fathom that they were secretly evil and wanted to manipulate him. The wretch had a phobia of every animus that wasn’t Fathom, but had made an enemy out of them on that day. On their sixth hatchingday, when they’d been deployed to join the army at the front lines, they had almost argued against leaving - because that meant leaving Fathom alone with  _ **_her._ **

_ “Maybe you should go and apologise,” Clearsight was saying, “clear the air with Indigo. Then we can all move on. I can see all of our dragonets playing together on this beach, don’t you?” _

_ Yes, they saw that vision, but it also meant living next door to that shrill leech for the rest of their lives. No. They saw much better visions than that, much grander visions, visions where everything they had suffered in life finally meant something. A future where their turmoils and pains were finally given a reward…  _

_ “Clearsight,” they said gently. “Don’t you ever wonder if a better future could be out there for us?” _

_ She stiffened in their embrace. “What do you mean?” _

_ “Nothing,” they murmured, disengaging from her. It was no use getting into an argument with her over this. “Just a dream I had… Come. Let us see Fathom.”  _

_ As they flew, they left the cliffs behind for the grand and sparkling city. And with it came the resolve in their heart that living in stone shacks on the cliffs like poor hermits would not ever be good enough for their loved ones, not good enough for their dragonets, not good enough for them.  _

_ Fathom still lived in Foeslayer and Arctic’s house, mostly because they all still functioned as a family (most of the time) and also because of his promise to them that he would take care of Whiteout whilst they were away at war. This also meant Indigo was staying with them. Arctic made endless complaints about his home being stuffed with vagrants, but he secretly enjoyed the company of others who shared his sleep cycle. And Indigo’s attitude made him feel validated.  _

_ Clearsight went home. They couldn’t be seen together, especially not when they had just returned home from war, and instantly going to her side might be considered suspicious. So, they faced the others alone. Mother had arrived a few hours before they did. Of course, Whiteout leapt into their wings as soon as she saw them, and Arctic pretended they didn’t exist. The old flame of hate flared anew. They could see inside of Arctic that he was at least a little relieved that they were alive, but he also was resentful because that meant they had definitely killed IceWings.  _

_ They wanted to scream at him - this was war!  _

_ “Brother!” Fathom cried jovially. “I was beginning to fear you’d gotten lost.”  _

_ That made them smile. “Is that SeaWing speak for ‘I missed you so much, Darkstalker, you incredibly handsome devil, you! Everyone knows you are the best and I have had to manage without you all by myself!’”  _

_ “You squid-brain!” _

_ And of course, Indigo stood to the side, watching like a hawk. Her mind ticked over all the threats they posed, and she tried to wonder what he was up to.  _

_ “I don’t know about any of you,” they said, “but after such a long flight, I need a drink.”  _

_ “Yeah, you might need it,” Fathom said in a tone that made them grow still. They searched his mind but all Fathom could think was  _ Indigo-Indigo-Indigo!  _ How aggravating. “Indigo and I have been discussing me… potentially… returning to the kingdom of the Sea.” _

_ The glass in their talon shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Hot pain sliced their palm. Blood soaked their clenched claws.  _

_ “Watch it!” Arctic barked. Mother sighed and immediately went to clean it up, muttering about how it had to have been an accident.  _

_ They leveled a stare on Fathom. “Might I have a word?” It was a question but their tone left no room for argument.  _

_ They led Fathom to their room, and of course,  _ **_she_ ** _ had to follow. “Please don’t be angry-” _

_ “You can’t go.” They told Fathom.  _

_ Indigo stood squarely in front of Fathom, eyes narrowed. “You don’t get to tell him what to do.”  _

_ “Pearl thought I was dead for so long,” the male SeaWing said. “It sounds like they want me back, that they could use my gifts…” _

_ “But you don’t want to use them,” they said. _

_ “It would be a chance for me to go home…” _

_ “ _ **_This_ ** _ is your home!”  _

_ All at once, the harpy was stood chest to chest with them. “Don’t talk to him like that! If Fathom wants to live his life, then you can’t stop him. You can’t make him sit around here waiting for you to come home like a neglected puppy.” _

_ “You stay out of this!” they hissed in her face. “Fathom, don’t give up on the life you have here, the future in store. Let me make you see-” _

_ They had gone to push past Indigo, and in that moment she had sprung. She’d grabbed their wrist and wrenched one arm to the side and back, twisting it at a painful angle, forcing their spine to arch. Then, she’d grabbed a knife off the desk and pressed it into their left armpit. Just one little push, and she would piece a lung. A harder push, and she would stab their heart. In retaliation, a spell was right on the tip of their tongue, ready to kill her in an instant -  _

_ But then Fathom’s voice broke through. “Stop it! Indigo, get off him!”  _

_ “I told you he wouldn’t let you!” she growled. “Why doesn’t he want you to go? Why does he always want to keep you here? It’s because he’s up to something!” _

_ “Darkstalker is my brother,” Fathom argued. “He would never do such a thing.” _

_ “Not to Fathom,” they added, giving her a cold glare. “You, on the other talon, should think very carefully about your next move.” _

_ She hesitated for only a moment, but that was enough. Their long tail lassoed around her neck and wrenched her backwards. The pair of them went down. They followed up with three consecutive, hard blows to the stomach, ribs, and atop the shoulders. Indigo tried to fight back, and she was a good warrior, but they had been trained by the best since they could walk. In a matter of moments they had her pinned to the floor, one talon raised to claw her face off - _

_ “I said, ENOUGH!” Fathom hit into their side, pushing them off. They shook their head, dazed, and then scowled incredulously as Fathom was helping  _ **_INDIGO_ ** _ to stand?! “You didn’t have to take it that far.” _

_ “She was the one trying to kill ME!” they roared. It was a good thing they’d cast a spell to soundproof this room years ago.  _

_ “But you should have let me handle it! Not taken the opportunity I know you’ve been itching for! You’ve already found your soulmate, let me have mine!” and in his mind, they read the fear that lingered beneath the surface. That they could have used their power at any moment. Fathom bundled Indigo into his embrace and left the room. They watched them go, seething as a burning jealousy scorched their veins.  _

_ And that fear they’d felt when Indigo had pressed the knife to their flesh… It felt too real. It was very possible that in some alternative timeline, they could have died this night. They had been in three battles so far, but death had never felt closer than in this moment. It was… humiliating, terrifying. Because for all their training, all their power, they had been utterly helpless for one moment that could have ended everything.  _

_ They never wanted to feel like that again. Not ever.  _

Moon slowly returned to herself as the last memory faded into nothing. Usually when she came back from these memories she felt a little lighter, as if a piece of the darkness that was this mystery had been lifted. But after that last glimpse… she felt a little cold inside. 

She had possibly just witnessed the moment when Darkstalker had decided to make himself invulnerable and immortal. And the thing was it felt so… reasonable. He'd been frightened of his own mortality, helpless, and unlike anyone else who had to deal with those fears and move on, he had the power to change that fear. Moon had felt that sense of powerlessness before, and she knew she never wanted to feel that again if she could help it. She resolved to do that by avoiding those kinds of situations. 

If she had Darkstalker's power, wouldn't she want to feel that kind of security for her and her loved ones? The line between the right and wrong answer became blurry. 

But what was more upsetting to her, was that she'd witnessed the gradual change in her friend that she had once thought irreconcilable. And now she didn't know what to feel. How could Darkstalker have gone from the dragon who wanted to live out his life in peace and happiness with his wife and their promised dragonets, his best friend living next door; to a ruthless, power hungry king in the making? 

"I loved my tribe, Moon," Darkstalker said in a quiet voice, his gaze firmly fixed on the distant starlight. For a moment, Moon wondered how he could've known her private thoughts, and then realised that she hadn't put her earring back on. Her talons shook a little as she tried to put in her ear without him thinking it was because of him. Darkstalker pretended not to notice. "I would’ve been the best ruler they’d ever had. I know it; I saw the futures where I was king, benevolent and beloved, married to Clearsight with six little dragonets of our own. Those were possible. That could have happened if anyone had had faith in me."

The want to say  _ I have faith, _ was right there on her tongue, but for some reason she couldn't let the words be uttered. Instead they had to let the silence hang between them. A cold wind blew in from the sea, making her shiver. 

“Let us leave this place.” Darkstalker turned back towards the west and leapt into the sky, his expression hard as stone. Moon hesitated, wondering if she had been wrong to keep her silence, but then followed. 

They flew south of the main city, expanding their reach. Darkstalker had mentioned that an aqueduct used to bring water from a river in the south to the city, and thought it was broken. Perhaps he was going to find that and repair it. Moon followed along obediently and silently. After what had just happened, she couldn’t deny him a spell - it was part of their deal after all. 

Abruptly, Darkstalker faltered in the air. Moon had to swerve so that she wouldn’t collide into his back. And that was when she saw it. 

A huge furrow had been ploughed into the ground, destroying old buildings and foliage. From bank to bank it was wide enough for a single dragon to walk through. It cut a straight line through the landscape like a claw raked through flesh. Darkstalker gave Moon a wary glance, mentally communicating with her to stay close and be on guard. Cautiously, they followed the track in the earth. It stretched for at least a mile. When they reached its end, Darkstalker gave a small involuntary sharp inhale of surprise. Moon had to crane her head around him to see. 

The trail in the earth had led them to a massive crater that looked as if it had crushed an entire town square. In the centre of it, sat a hulking boulder, such a deep black that it seemed suck all the light around it inside itself and spit nothing back out. The thing oozed malevolence, which disturbed Moon, for a rock such as this should be unfeeling and inanimate. Yet, the boulder had this effect on her mind that the longer she looked at it, it seemed to ensnare her thoughts and drag her consciousness down into a muck that made it hard to think. A buzzing hum filled her mind as she drew close to it, a hum that made her spine tingle and her scales feel as if they were being turned the wrong way. Her deepest instinct told her to flee immediately. Even as something else pulled her closer. 

And suddenly, she recognised this feeling. Granted, it felt like it had been a lifetime ago, and the effects had been on a much smaller scale. But there was no mistaking it. 

“It’s Skyfire,” she blurted. 

Darkstalker gave her a look. “Are you sure?”

Slowly, she approached the boulder, the closer she got, the greater the hum became until it felt like it would vibrate her brain into pulp. Her talons shook. The urge to run grew greater - was this what prey felt like when it saw her descend on it in the last moment? How awful! She took off her earring and let her mind and Darkstalker’s meld together, their thoughts and feelings of unease swirling around. And then, she reached out and lurched towards the rock, forcing herself to touch it before she grew too cowardly. The silence and aloneness struck her like a blow to the face. Even the burning hum was no more. She tried to reach out her mind to Darkstalker, but it was as if no mind but her own existed. 

At the abrupt shut off of her thoughts, Darkstalker’s panicked and snatched her away from the thing. All at once, everything came flooding back, and Moon sagged in his arms with a sigh of relief. She put her earring back on. 

“So this is the meteorite that shot across the continent two years ago?” Darkstalker said thoughtfully. He set Moon right and then circled the boulder, going over it from every angle. “The one that caused the earthquakes? That set off the volcano and woke me up?”

“It must be,” Moon said. “I remember it travelled from northeast to southwest across the sky… Pieces of it must’ve broken off as it travelled - that’s why Icicle had some, but the heart of it landed here.”

“The question now, is what do we do with it?”

“Do we have to do anything with it?” Moon squeaked. “I mean, can’t you feel the wrongness all around it?”

He nodded. “And that’s precisely why I want to see what it is, and why it affects us so. Aren’t you curious? Imagine the knowledge we could gain from just a few experiments.”

Perhaps he did make a good point. And she was curious to know how it affected her powers, exactly. “But how’ll we get it back to the castle?”

The corner of Darkstalker’s mouth twitched into a smirk. He brandished a talon with an extravagant flick of the wrist. “Do you even need to ask?”

Moon rolled her eyes but gave him permission for the spell he requested of her. She took a few steps back to give him room, avoiding the sharp debris sticking out of the crater bed. 

“ _ I enchant this boulder of Skyfire to lift itself into the air and stay several feet behind me. It will follow me wherever I go until I order it otherwise.”  _ he said. 

But nothing happened. The fallen star stayed exactly where it was. Darkstalker gaped at it, then whirled on Moon. She splayed open her palms, eyes wide, just as flabbergasted as he was. She had given him permission, and he had said the spell. Why wasn’t it working? 

“Darkstalker,” she said. “I give you permission to enchant the boulder to shrink.”

“Good idea.  _ I enchant this Skyfire to shrink itself into the size of a marble.” _

The boulder stubbornly remained boulder-sized. 

Moon felt her heart give a terrified little shudder. “Darkstalker, what if–”

“That’s not possible!” But the way his voice caught on his words betrayed his own fear. With a growl, he circled his arms around the great rock, and he heaved, determined to make it move if it would not do as he sai– 

A shiver passed across his body, the tips of his wings trembled. Moon’s eyes widened as she watched a kind of shadow lift from Darkstalker’s scales. They abruptly looked duller, losing their glossy shine. And then, one by one, scars began to appear all over him. One cut across his left brow, another stretched almost the full length of his tail. Three stripes that were unmistakably the patterns of claw marks swept across one shoulder. And then, between his wings, all the way down his back, appeared horrendous scars that crisscrossed and zigzagged over one another. Some were thick and gnarled, others looked deep or strayed too close to the delicate membrane of his wings.

The memory from earlier rushed to her mind. Darkstalker had been threatened by his ‘keepers’, and he’d remembered an old pain flash across his back. By the looks of it, he must’ve been whipped to within an inch of his life. 

“Darkstalker–!” Moon cried out in horror. 

He whirled to look at her, startled, and caught sight of the back of one talon, where a scar in the pattern of teeth marks was clearly visible. With a yell he leapt back as if to escape the sight of his own body. As he did, he tail smacked against a sharp stone jutting out of the ground. His tail was striped with red. He  _ bled.  _

Darkstalker almost screamed and jumped away, trying to catch his own tail. But the moment his touch left the Skyfire, that strange ripple shivered across his scales again. And then the new wound instantly stopped bleeding and knit itself back together. The scars all along his body vanished, and his scales were once more glossy and untarnished. 

Frantically, he looked himself over, checking and rechecking that all blemishes were gone. When it was clear that he was himself again, he stared at Moon. She stared back. 

Skyfire wasn’t just anti-mindreading, or anti-precognition. It was downright anti-magic entirely!

“How is this possible?” Moon whispered. She didn’t think her voice could manage any louder. 

“I’m not sure...” his voice shook.

“It took away your invulnerable scales, it made you mortal.” Her heart was suddenly pounding in her ears, her stomach felt like it was diving into the ground. “Darkstalker, how’re you still alive?!” What if he’d turned to dust when it’d cancelled out his immortality spell? Had she come  _ this close  _ to losing him? 

“Because my spell was only to pause my ageing. If I permanently touched this, I would age as any other dragon would, be mortal as any other dragon…” he stared at the boulder, his silver-blue eyes going strangely glassy. “We must destroy it.”

She came towards him, reaching out a wing to comfort him. “Darkstalker?”

He spun, and Moon shrieked as he closed his talons around her shoulders in a nearly painful grip. His eyes were wide, his pupils mere pinpricks. “You mustn’t tell a single soul of what we found here, Moon! Swear to me that you will tell no one!”

“Why?” she whined, trying to wriggle free of his hold, but his claws were locked around her.

“Because this secret must never be found! Think about it, Moon. This Skyfire, in the wrong talons, means a death sentence not just for me, but for you as well, for any dragon in Pyrrhia who has even a touch of magic! Other animus dragons. Maybe even Firescales. Or fireproof MudWings. Think of the dragonets our tribe will soon have with the powers of old!”

She did think about them. Turtle, his sister Anemone, Peril, Clay, Stonemover, maybe even Sunny? Would this really hurt them? Would she be putting them in danger if word of this ever got out? 

“Promise me, Moon!” 

“Alright, I promise!”

He released her, whispering ‘thank-yous’ over and over. They briefly discussed in anxious tones how they would go about getting rid of it. After inspecting the Skyfire, they declared that it was a strange mixture between stone, jewel and metal. Neither of them would be able to make a fire hot enough to melt it down, and destroying it into dust would take them too long. Eventually, Darkstalker came up with an idea that seemed to satisfy him. 

The meteorite had landed on the edge of a hill. With all his strength (Moon avoided looking at those horrific scars that popped out again when he touched it), Darkstalker pushed it from its bed until it teetered on the brink before rolling down the hill. Quickly following after it, Darkstalker used its momentum to help him catch and lift it into the air. Even though he could still get his arms around it, it was solid and heavy and its weight threatened to drag him out of the sky. Yet through the strain and through the pain lancing through his body, he carried on. It was only a short distance to the cliffs, but that short span felt like an eternity to Moon as she hovered close by, wanting to help but unsure how. 

Finally, they reached the cliffs and Darkstalker gave a furious roar and threw the Skyfire away from himself. Instantly, his scales returned to normal, and the pair of them watched as the black boulder hurtled into the sea. It crashed through the waves, sending up a gigantic splash! But then, it disappeared in an instant, sinking to the sea floor, presumably now lost forever. 

With a snort, Darkstalker declared this business done. He turned away back towards the castle, complaining he was tired. Moon stayed for a moment, eyes fixed on the spot where she had last seen the Skyfire. But there was no glimmer of infinite darkness, no hum playing at the edges of her mind. 

Yet still she felt a shiver creep down her spine, as if someone had walked over her grave. 


End file.
